Sunday, November 9, 2014

Missions, the Spirit, and the Church - Acts 13:1-4

Missions, the Spirit, and the Church
Acts 13:1-4

Introduction:  Mars Hill Church in the area of Seattle, Washington was shaken recently by the resignation of their founding pastor, Mark Driscoll.  It had grown to multiple sites with perhaps 15,000 people attending the services weekly.  Mark was confronted by the elder board and other pastors and accused of a totalitarian management style and bullying those who disagreed with him. After hearing the conclusion of their investigation, even though he said he had done nothing to disqualify himself from the ministry, he surprised the church by resigning. The multiple campuses are each going to make their own decision about going on independently, or closing their doors. Essentially, by year end, Mars Hill Church will be no more.

       The dissolution of this mega-church raises an important question: who’s church is this anyway?  It sometimes happens that a leader can become so identified with a church that people can hardly imagine going on without him.  The church where Mary Ann and I were members while we served with WorldVenture in Brazil, just had their Senior Pastor of 38 years retire. No doubt whatever they do some people will be dissatisfied and some will probably leave. This passage in the book of Acts shows us a moment of dynamic transition in a church, the church in Antioch, when God calls 40% of their leadership, two out its five pastor/teachers, to a new work. To understand the significance of what is happening we have to remember the context: the Book of Acts has been called the “Acts of the Apostles” by the church, it is really the Acts of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, through the Church. 

       Who’s church is this anyway? In a certain sense, we all who are members can say it is our church.  But unquestionably the Head of the Church is Jesus. He continues to build His church as he carries out his mission. The other outstanding truth we’ve been seeing in Acts is the presence of the Holy Spirit to fill, empower, and guide the church as it engages in mission.  There was a fundamental change at Pentecost when the exalted Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on the church. The same Spirit that empowered and guided the church in the book of Acts, is with us and in us today, His presence is what sets this dispensation, from Pentecost to the rapture, apart from every other period of redemptive history. That is the Big Idea in this passage…

The Big Idea: Led and empowered by the Spirit, the church recognizes the diverse gifts God has given as we carry out His mission together.

I. The Church God Uses: Spiritual leadership welcomes the diversity which is part of God’s design for the church (1-2a).
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…”
Diversity of gifts.  We are reminded here of the different gifts God gives to carry out the ministry of the local church. Only two are mentioned in this passage, “prophets and teachers,” but it is a reminder that God bestows gifts and raises up leaders. We read for example in Ephesians 4:7-13,
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  8 Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."  9 (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?  10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)  11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”   
This is by no means an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts, seemingly in this passage the focus is more on “leadership” in terms of the gifts that are mentioned. Notice in v.12 that the purpose of these gifts is “…to equip the saints for the work of ministry…”  In a certain sense, these leaders are “coaches” who help the team, the entire church body, to discover and develop the gifts that God has given them to engage in mission.  I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 are two more passages that deal with the church as a body, each member sovereignly gifted to carry out the work of ministry. In all three passages, Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 Paul presents a pattern that could be illustrated as a simple equation:

unity + diversity à maturity

The church is a unified body composed of individual members, and the different gifts and abilities of each member work together to build up the body.  Each of us is important, we need everyone engaged at some level in the mission of the church.  We probably have a higher percentage of people involved in some aspect of ministry than many churches. Ideally, 100% of our members and regular attenders should have a good handle on what their spiritual gift(s) is(are) and should have opportunity to intentionally use those gifts both in equipping and encouraging each other, and in reaching out to the unsaved in our sphere of influence.

Diversity of backgrounds and ethnicities.  The Bible talks about the church as a diverse community, composed of believers from every tribe and nation. In the Great Commission the disciples were told to make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:18-20, cf. Acts 1:8). The Book of Revelation describes this mixed multitude forming a harmonious chorus singing praise to the Lamb. We read for example in Revelation 5:9,10…  
And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’"
We see reflected in the leadership at Antioch a mosaic of ethnic and racial diversity and can imagine that to some extent that reflected the diversity of the body.  Our community is not very diverse, but heaven will be! How can we partner with ministries like the Root Cellar in Lewiston or Torli’s church in Boston to reach the nations that are coming to our shores?  How can we plan ahead to reach out to the diverse visitors and seasonal workers that come to our area in the summer season from all over the world?  How can we partner with the church in Haiti or Uganda or Liberia or elsewhere in the world to carry out the Great Commission?  It starts not with strategy or programs, but with our relationship with the Lord. Someone said,
“The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Missions. The closer to Him we are, the more intensely missionary we must become…” (Source unknown).
From Pentecost to the Rapture, the mission he has given us is our task, and the indwelling Spirit is our power. Led and empowered by the Spirit, the church recognizes the diverse gifts God has given as we carry out His mission together.

II. The Direction God Gives: God will guide and empower His people as He carries out His mission (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.’"
Notice the activity that leaders were engaged in: “…worshipping the Lord and fasting…” It’s a context of worship and prayer, of seeking God. I think the Westminster catechism is correct in saying that the chief end of man if to glorify God. The glory of God is both the motivation and the fruit of missions.  It is interesting to remember the kinds of things Jesus had specifically told his disciples to pray about. Considering the direction they receive here, I wonder if the admonition of Jesus at the end of Matthew 9 might have been a part of their prayers.
 “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest…’" (Matthew 9:37-38).
If this was their prayer, God answered, maybe in a way they didn’t expect! Two of their leaders, two who had ministered in their midst and who were a part of the body were called and the church was to confirm that, setting them apart for the work! God answered, and it cost them something. Are we willing? Are we available, to send or to go?
 
Set apart Barnabas and Saul” The Apostle Paul recognizes that he was set apart by God when he says at the beginning of his letter to the Romans, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…” (Rom 1:1).  God tells the church to “…set apart for me…” indicating that He had a plan and purpose for Saul (Paul) and Barnabas.  They were called by God and were to be set apart by the church for God’s purpose. And as surely as He had a plan for these men He has a plan for every one of us that know Him. Are we willing? Are we available? Are you willing to be stretched and trust Him even outside of your “comfort zone?”

Notice also that it is God’s sovereign plan and calling, “…for the work to which I have called them…” God had already called them. But notice that God works through the church. He didn’t simply speak to Paul and Barnabas and leave at that, rather He spoke to the assembled, praying, worshipping leaders.  The church is God’s design. One aspect of the unity of the church is seeking wisdom, and counsel, and prayer from each other.  Do you believe that? It goes against the independent spirit we celebrate as Americans, but that is the teaching of the New Testament. Led and empowered by the Spirit, the church recognizes the diverse gifts God has given as we carry out His mission together.

III. The Attitude God Blesses: God works through the church as it seeks Him and is obedient in standing with and sending out the called (3-4).
Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.  4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus” (Acts 13:3-4).
Let’s look at this a phrase at a time.
       “Then after fasting and praying…” – The church together sought God and obeyed God. But prayer was key. I was reading an article about the First Baptist Church of Houston this week. They have been experiencing revival and growth, not through programs and new ministries, but the key has been getting back to the basics, emphasizing prayer and then focusing outward on mission, locally and globally.  That’s what we see happening in Acts, we see a praying church.  We have a prayer meeting downstairs at 8:30, welcoming God’s presence,
       “…they laid hands on them…” – This was not “ordaining” these men for ministry, they had been in the ministry for years! It was recognizing God’s call and direction (or re-direction!), and affirming that the leadership stood with them and would support them as the Lord enabled.
          “They sent them off…” lit, “They released them…” – This is a different verb than that which occurs in the next phrase. The normal translation of this word is “release, let go.” The Spirit called, the Spirit sent them out, the church recognized and confirmed that calling and “released” them, let them go, with their blessing.
          “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit they went…”
The attitude I see here is submission and obedience. Remember the words of Chuck Colson,
“It is not what we do that matters, it is what a sovereign God chooses to do through us.  God doesn’t want our achievements, He wants us. He doesn’t demand our success, He demands our obedience…”
Remember Acts chapter 12, there is no better place to be than in the center of His will. Trust and obey, there is no other way!
What is God saying to me in this passage? Led and empowered by the Spirit, the church recognizes the diverse gifts God has given as we carry out His mission together.


What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Do you recognize the truth that God’s Spirit is with you and in you? Do you see the importance of the local church in the plan of God?  One way you can demonstrate that is by becoming a member. We are one, a single unified body. Every member has been gifted and called and strategically placed here by design. As we come together in meetings like Sunday morning service, we worship Him, we recognize His presence, we also come to hear the word and be equipped to serve Him more effectively.  Together we have a part in His mission. Let’s embrace it!  We are missionaries, the mission field starts as soon as we step out of these doors.        AMEN.

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