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Acts 13:1-13 “Missions… tough stuff” Herod put James to death. Being a Jew by race not by religion he wanted to ingratiate himself to the Jewish people. Now he plans to do the same to Peter. The early Church was thriving and they probably thought that God was asleep at the wheel. Never are we out of His sight nor his might!

Verse 5 says Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was

offered to God for him by the church.

Peter is in prison but there are two forces at work: 1) The seen… Herod and his trained guards and the power of Rome. 2)

The unseen… Prayer made earnestly by the Church.

God sends an Angel to rescue Peter for our battle is not in the seen world but in the unseen world. Ephesians 6

Do you get the picture? Those ragtag, beleaguered Christians possessed greater

power than Herod’s hordes! The legion of Rome barred the door, but it only took

one of God’s secret agents to liberate the captive!

Peter’s experience reacquainted the embattled church with the true nature of

her strength: no matter how grim life might appear, God and His angels are

present and ministering, and he can deliver us anytime he sees fit!

If we ever think God does not understand or cannot or will not help, we have bad

theology. May your eyes be opened right now, wherever we are or whatever is

going on around us, we would say, God’s Got It!

The Apostle PAUL… Adams summarizes this amazing man… “the persecutor turned preacher – Saul of Tarsus, also known as Paul the apostle. Much has been written about Paul’s mind, his vast intellect – Paul’s heart, his deep passion for God and people – Paul’s shoulders, the sense of

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responsibility he carried for the churches – Paul’s back, the beatings he endured for the sake of the Gospel – but of all his attributes none is more impressive than Paul’s feet! Paul crisscrossed the empire 4 times – mostly on foot. In the part of Acts that concerns his travels, 40 different cities are mentioned by name. His 3 missionary journeys logged more than 8100 miles and kept him on the road over a decade. Imagine the destination stickers on Paul’s suitcase – what a collection! Oswald Sanders writes, “Other missionaries opened continents to the Gospel. Paul opened a world.” The rest of the book of Acts tracks the journeys of Paul.” Together we begin his first…

Now in the church

that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: “Notice the

distinction: Prophets are those who, under the inspiration of the Spirit, guide the

church as they speak the heart of God through edification, exhortation, and comfort.

Teachers are those who ground the church as they point out the ways and mind of

God revealed through the Word.

Because the gospel was for all and Jesus died for all… The early Church was full of so many from so many backgrounds and races.

, Remember Barnabas, the “son of encouragement”? He was the

one who took Paul under his wing before anyone else in Jerusalem believed Paul

was born again. Later on, we’ll see Barnabas take John Mark under his wing and

walk with him through a season of failure. Real deal Christian!

Simon was from present-day Nigeria. This

is probably Simon the Cyrene, the one who carried the cross to Golgotha after Jesus

sank beneath its weight (Luke 23:26).

Probable that Simeon went home and shared with

his buddy Lucius… and he gets saved and they serve Jesus together.

Manaen was a foster-brother of Herod Antipas—This was the same Herod who

beheaded John the Baptist and presided over one of Jesus' trials (Luke 23:7-12). Talk

about the grace and sovereignty of God! Manaen grew up in Herod’s vile, polluted

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family—yet the Lord rescued him and saved him for ministry.

Saul’s father and mother were Hebrews. Pharisees (not

Sadducees). Although raised in the Hellenistic culture, he was sent to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel. Saul is a Pharisee to the core! He is a member of the Sanhedrin, which governs not only over Jerusalem, but over all Judaism. Now a follower of Christ!

2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, Luke doesn’t say they

ministered for the Lord. He says they ministered to the Lord. Lots of people desire

to minister for the Lord, but there are few who desire to minister to the Lord.

In Ezekiel 44:11 and 15, Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary,

as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall

slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall

stand before them to minister to them. 15 “But the priests, the Levites,

the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the

children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to

minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat

and the blood,” says the Lord God.

It’s an amazing thought – that you and I can actually minister to the Lord— you can bring a smile to God's face, and pleasure to His heart –

They fasted… Fasting is always a mark of deep spiritual concern,

indicating that a person is willing to set aside the normal demands of life in order

to concentrate for a time on what God wants.

Again verse 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit

said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I

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have called them.” The calling God had for the life of Paul had already been

stated in Acts 9:15-16: He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things

he must suffer for My name's sake. Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. God is calling Barnabas and Saul to these good works!

3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent

them away.

They sent them! I would never want to go anywhere

without the sending of my home Church. If you go… KNOW! That’s why

we so often bring a pastor or team up on stage to let the body know.

We are with this team or person. We are sending them with

the blessing and support of the leadership of the Church. When we do

this we are saying and here in our text they are saying…

The Lord picked… the church prayed… and Saul and Barnabas parted. From the beginning, the church had accepted Gentiles, but

now a deliberate attempt is made to reach them. Saul becomes “the apostle to the Gentiles.”

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went (Holy Spirit told you to

go… GO! so they went) Paul and Barnabas were not the masters of their fate or the captains of their souls. Christ was! If Jesus is Lord, He calls the shots… “

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4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and

from there they sailed to Cyprus. It was an easy 130-mile voyage. The ancient world

regarded Cyprus very much like we regard . I’m sure Barnabus wanted to start there. Barnabus was from cyprus… probably his suggestion. Besides great waves and fishing, there’s great need

in Cyprus. The worship of Venus, also known as Aphrodite, the love goddess, was

centered in Cyprus. Every woman on Cyprus was required to serve as a temple

prostitute at least once in her life. And as you read the history of Cyprus, you

read of disease, debauchery, and tragedy. Even the appearance of the women as

recorded by historians was unbelievably sad. It was a sick island. Sin always takes

a toll. And sin kills emotionally as well as physically. Cyprus was full of SIN.

5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in

the synagogues of the Jews. Upon arrival, their method was simple – travel the island

from east to west, from Salamis to Paphos, a distance of about 90 miles, preaching the gospel first in the Jewish synagogues but also to the Gentiles. The custom of the open synagogue invited any learned man to speak to the congregation on the Sabbath.

They also had John as their assistant. John Mark… writer of the gospel of

Mark. Young intern… this is exciting… romance… 1000’s getting saved…

snorkeling… surfing But once on the missionary journey, reality quickly set

in. They all became tired, even exhausted. The accommodations were not always the best, and soon the romance was gone. Mark began to wonder why he had come on this trip. As we will see later, he will exit the journey licking his wounds.

6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, “...Paphos”:

The Roman capital of island, where the proconsul resided, west side, 100 miles along the south shore. Barclay notes, “This city was known for its immorality: "Paphos was infamous for its

worship of Venus, the goddess of [sexual] love" they found a certain sorcerer, a

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false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, In the Greek, “son of Jesus.” This guy goes by two names: Barjesus and Elymas (Arabic name); he is trying to hide his Jewish nationality.

7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man.

Wearied by materialism and idolatry and was looking for a higher, more

genuine spiritual reality. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and

sought to hear the word of God.

Sergius Paulus: First Gentile convert on their first missionary journey. Confirmed by Archaeology: Inscription with both title and name found on a coin of 52a.d. in Cyprus. Sir William Ramsey also uncovered evidence that

his entire family became prominent Christians after this event.

Verse 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood

them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

“...Elymas”: An Arabic name (“all knowing one, wise one”), This sorcerer deliberately tries to obstruct the Word of God with the most senior Roman official in the area!

Ministry is difficult… A bare knuckled spiritual fight is going on.

R. Kent adds… “There is a cost to sincere service for Christ. Never share your faith and you will never look like a fool. Never stand for righteousness on a social issue and you will never be rejected. Never walk out of a theater because a movie or play is offensive and you will never be called a prig. Never practice consistent honesty in business and you will not lose the trade of a not-so-honest associate. Never reach out to the needy and you will never be taken advantage of. Never give your heart and it will never be broken. Never go to Cyprus and you will never be subjected to a dizzy, heart convulsing confrontation with Satan. Seriously follow Christ and you will experience a gamut of sorrow almost completely unknown to the unbeliever. But of course you will

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also know the joy of adventure with the Lord of the universe and of spiritual victory as you live a life of allegiance to him. For Saul and Barnabas, the battle was on.”

9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul,

The word

“Saul” means “requested one”—even as King Saul was requested by the

people (1 Samuel 8:6). What does mean? You see,

something happened in Paul’s life when he was converted to Christ. No

longer did he identify himself as Saul, the “requested one,” No, he said, “Call me little.”

In the early part of his ministry, Paul said, “I am the least of the

apostles” (see 1 Corinthians 15:9). In the middle of his ministry, he said, “I am

less than the least of all saints” (see Ephesians 3:8). At the end of his life, he

said, “I am the chief of sinners” (see 1 Timothy 1:15). The more we walk with

Christ the more we see our need… the more we see how “little” we are and

how God is. Like John the Baptist… we must decrease and He must

increase!

This is not the time to be “NICE”. Paul is gonna get in this demonically

influenced man’s face… so verse 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul,

filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all

deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness,

will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? Wow, That’s

not nice Paul… You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar ...

that was not honey.

Chuck Missler points out that Paul called him a “child or son of the devil”: The Spirit of God never used a term like that of ordinary

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unsaved men. Morgan notes, "The severest words of the Bible, Old and New

Testaments, are reserved for those who

• Those who stand between men and ... • Those who stand between men and . It must be the heart that loves Sergius Paulus that speaks in anger to Elymas the sorcerer."

8 woes: not upon sinning men, but on false teachers (Mt 23:13-29).

That’s why teachers of the word will be judged with a greater judgment… It’s one thing to be “misled” but quite another to be the one that “misleads”. If you don’t wanna believe and go to hell… don’t you dare take others with you.

11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be

blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on

him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

Paul’s first miracle: As Elymas is struck with blindness, we can't help but think Paul would remember his own experience with God. Paul was struck blind at his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:9). Certainly, those who are resisting God are blind spiritually, so God is just giving Elymas a physical blindness corresponding to his spiritual blindness. Sadly, we never hear of Elymas repenting, as Paul did.

12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done,

being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

“You mean God loves me?” Sergius Paulus must have wondered in

amazement. “You mean He became a Man and died in my place? You

mean I can be forgiven and saved—made right and redeemed?” This very

intelligent man was blown away by the truth. I am a sinner, I deserve

death, Jesus loves me, He died, He rose again. I BELIEVE! The gospel…

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Now they are settling sail from the sunny shores for the ominous cliffs of Perga, 175 miles away. There may also have been sickness along the way, because Paul did not preach in Pamphylia but in Galatia.

, “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.” Scholars conjecture that he caught malaria in Pamphylia (which was notorious for the ailment) and moved to the safer climate of Galatia. All of this, combined with John Mark’s privileged

upbringing, was simply too much for the young man. So he went home. Later he would beautifully redeem himself (compare 2 Timothy 4:11), but for the time being Paul considered him a deserter.

13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to

Perga in Pamphylia; “Perga”: The principal metropolis in Pamphylia,

situated on the river Cestrus, 7 miles N from Attaleia.

and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

“John” is John Mark; his departure disturbs Paul. Note that “Paul and company” shows that Paul had become the leader. Shifts in leadership disturb people… why are you serving? For man? If you get demoted

are you gonna take you ball and go home? Servants… wherever God

wants us… tests our hearts doesn’t it?

Biblical truth… Being a Missionary is tough stuff… Being a Christian

is tough stuff… really tough stuff. Expectations are crucial. Another heresy in the Church is telling people if they come to Christ your life will get better. Just try Jesus! Illustration: parachute on airplane… We too sometimes draw back from commitment we have made, but there is hope – God loves to give us another chance.

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There is no trial or difficulty Christ cannot see us through. This same Paul wrote the triumphant words, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). With Christ there is room for vast optimism. We are called to war! Onward, Christian soldiers! Let us not go to war with glorified expectations. War is difficult, but through Christ we are more than conquerors! PRAYER: O Lord, left to ourselves, we all will turn back – dismayed because we expected greater results and greater emotional highs, afraid because the enemies are too much for us, discouraged because physical trials slow us down. Each of us, in our hearts, is a times a deserting John Mark. Help us, O God, to excel in Spirit-led ministry for Christ, to persevere and triumph through our reigning Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In his short story “The Capital of the World” Ernest Hemingway tells the story of a Spanish father and his teenage son. The relationship between the father and son went horribly south. When the rebellious son (Paco, a very common Spanish name) ran away from home the father grieved. The father began an arduous search to find him. As a last resort the exhausted

father placed an ad in the Madrid newspaper, hoping his son would read the

newspaper and respond, The ad read, “Dear Paco, please meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon, “ALL IS FORGIVEN!” As Hemingway tells the story, the next day at noon, in front of the

Newspaper office, there were 800 Pacos, all seeking forgiveness from

their fathers… Now let’s minister to our Lord by receiving His forgiveness

and offering our lives…