Bible Text: Acts 13:1-14 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: The Solid Acts of God
The Heartbeat of Missions
1 John 3:16-17 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and, shuts up his heart from him how does the love of God abide in him?
Acts 13:1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called the black man), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.
One sign that we are healthy and Spirit-filled is when our churches are filled with radically different people who are united by the love of God!
John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.
Our purpose is to share the Good News that Jesus saved us!
God is in control
God made me to love me
God give us all a Godly purpose
God created us and we are not an accident
Acts 13:2-3 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work I have for them. So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
We must be careful when ANYONE says to you “thus says the Lord.”
Do not receive this UNTIL you have that word CLEARLY affirmed and confirmed by other MATURE believers like a pastor or spiritual elder and God’s Word.
Acts 13:4-7 Sent out by the Holy Spirit, Saul and Barnabas went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. (John Mark went with them as their assistant.)
Afterward they preached from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of considerable insight and understanding. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God.
Our mission is to be a witness. A witness is someone who honestly shares what they have seen and heard
Nobody can be a better witness of what God has done in your life than you, because you are the authority on your life
Everyone has a place of ministry and every ministry is important
God is building a family of people who love and trust Him, who are going to spend eternity with Him. It is amazing that God has chosen us to complete the mission.
John 14:12-13 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Where do we start in our mission?
We start with those in our own community (Jerusalem)
Luke 8:39 Go back home and tell people how much God has done for you. So that man went all over town telling how much Jesus had done for him
Today the countries that receive the most missionaries
#1. Brazil, with approximately 27,000
#2. America, with 20,000 missionaries coming to our country
There are many ways that we can be a witness:
Share what God did for me in my life; Give away CD’s from our services; Send E-mails; Give away a church bulletin; Give away music; Give books away; help someone; Decorate your workspace in such a way it invites inquiry; service projects; Short term missions; teach in a Sunday school class; volunteer at a public school…
Why doesn’t God take you to heaven the moment you become a believer?
There are two things we cannot do in heaven: Sin and tell people who don’t know the Good News about God’s love.
2 Peter 3:9 God doesn’t want anyone to be lost, but He wants all people to change their hearts and lives!
We are required “TO GO…”
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you…
Galatians 6:2-3 Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.
God says our actions are proved by our love.
Matthew 25:35-36 I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick and you cared for Me. I was in prison and you visited Me.
Mark 16:15 Jesus said to His followers, Go everywhere in the world and tell the Good News to everyone.
If you’re a Christian, Jesus said, Follow Me, and I’ll make you a fisher of men.” If you’re not fishing, you’re not following
When you get to heaven, is anybody going to say thank you for telling me the Good News?
In the next 365 days: ~9700 people will die in Kitsap county; ~79,000 people in Washington State will die; ~2.4 million Americans will die, ~54 million people in the world will die…most of them will go into eternity without Jesus.
Acts 13:8-10 But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Saul and Barnabas said. He was trying to turn the governor away from the Christian faith. Then Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked the sorcerer in the eye and said, You son of the Devil, full of every sort of trickery and villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?
Acts 13:11-12 And now the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be stricken awhile with blindness. Instantly mist and darkness fell upon him, and he began wandering around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. When the governor saw what had happened, he believed and was astonished at what he learned about the Lord.
Will you pray God use me?
Do you have enough courage to offer up your life and
say to God, use my life?
Will you go…make disciples…into all the world?