Sermon Notes 11-02-08

November 2nd 2008 “Joe—the Plumber” God can use anyone!
“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:1-3

What does it mean to have a “Call” on your life?
My call came to me in the form of music!

The missionary call of Barnabas and Saul, recorded in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Acts is replete with practical helps in a problem that bothers many Christians: How to recognize the guidance of God, how to know the directions of life, and to find the will of the Holy Spirit in these matters.
The thirteenth chapter is a turning point in the book of Acts. It is what Winston Churchill would have called one of the hinges of history. It marks the beginning of the third phase of our Lord's great commission. Remember Jesus said at the beginning of Acts: 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses”
In Chapter 13 we meet the beginning of the last phase, the going unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
It is also the beginning of the apostleship of Paul. Up to this time, he has never acted as an apostle. Now, some eleven or twelve years after his conversion, he begins to fulfill the ministry to which he was called as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps the most important thing about this section is that here is found a revelation of the manner of the leading of the Spirit, how the Spirit of God guides his people. Let us get this before us, for this is of great importance. The first three verses relate the setting for the call of the Holy Spirit.

Points to Ponder:1st True Ministry Starts from the Church Outward!

Acts 13:1-3 “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets”

Today you and I are the “Beneficiaries” of what happened to these early believers!
Sheri’s dad was the son of a pastor, who received the “Gospel” from someone else—who gave the Gospel to someone else!

We need to be “Passing It Along!”
The Church at Antioch is instructed by the Holy Spirit to v3 “lay hands on and send them off!”
The first three are prophets: 1. Barnabas, whom we know and have met before, 2. Symeon was from Nigeria and 3. Lucius of Cyrene, also from North Africa.
Scholars believe Symeon, in the Gospels, as the one who was impressed by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus on his way to the crucifixion (Matthew 27:32).

Then there were two teachers: Manaen and Saul of Tarsus. Manaen was a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch. This Herod is the one under whom our Lord suffered and before whom he appeared. The Greek text again makes clear that this man, Manaen, was a foster brother of Herod. He was related to him as a foster brother and thus was very close to the king.
Saul of Tarsus is listed only as a teacher. He is not called an apostle, he is not even a prophet; he is a teacher in the church at Antioch.

From this point forward in Church history—Paul becomes the dominant leader of the Church and Peter begins to fade!
Diversity of the Antioch church was one of the reasons it grew so quickly because with such a wide variety of backgrounds this church was better able to reach out to the many ethnic groups that populated the city of Antioch.

Points to Ponder:
1st True Ministry Starts from the Church Outward!
2nd True Ministry Will Progress to Evangelism!

Pastor Phil says: “Personal evangelism IS the ONE reason our hearts are still beating on this side of eternity.”Rick Warren says: "There are only two things you can't do in heaven. One of them is sin and the other is tell people who don't know it the Good News about God's love. Now, which of those two reasons do you think you're still alive for?"

Remember our “40 Days of Purpose!” We found out what our reason for being here on earth was! Some found out that they were Teachers, some were to Preach, some were to be Givers, some were to Serve Others—WE ALL HAVE OUR GOD-GIVEN GIFT!
At the Antioch Church, the Holy Spirit says: v3 "Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

God’s call is a call for each of us to “Use our Gifts!”
1st Corinthians 12:4-11 “4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

Can handing out water be evangelism? John 4:13 “13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;”Could feeding the homeless and hungry be evangelism? Matthew 25:35 “35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Illustration: Evangelism comes in many different packages! Norie didn’t have a lot of physical looks going for her. She was very physically challenged. She help me while I pastured in Puyallup church. I tried to minister to a young girl named Yolanda, who was very deeply involved with LSD. What I couldn’t do was say, “I know what you’re going through.” But Norie was able to talk to this young 16 year old girl and say, “I’ve been where you are and I know what you are going through. I took my fears and addictions to Jesus and He gave me the forgiveness that I needed.” Norie was able to help Yolanda get through he addictions and God changed a whole family. Today, Yolanda is serving the Lord and hundreds of young souls have come to Christ, just because someone shared their experience.

“The Principle Of Multiplication” Have You Heard About The Principle of “MULTIPLICATION?”I
t works like this: If I were to win one person to Jesus every WEEK for the next 16 years-832 people would be saved. 52 x 16 = 832. If I were to win one person to Jesus every DAY for the next 16 years, 5,840 people would be saved. 16 x 365 = 5840. If I were to get REALLY serious and win 100,000 people to Jesus every day for the next 16 years-I know that's far-fetched but play along with me here-if I were somehow able to find enough time in the day to do this, 584 million people would be saved-a little less than half the population of China.
BUT, if I were to win one person and then disciple him or her for the next six months and if the two of us went out and each won another person to Christ, that's a total of four Christians and that may not seem like much. But if we discipled them to share their faith and if they each won one and discipled them in the same way and if this continued for 16 years with Christians PERSONALLY sharing their faith at this rate and then discipling each new Christian to do the same-Well, are you ready for the grand total?-Here it is. In this way at the end of 16 years, 4,294,967,296 would be saved.

At the Antioch Church, the Holy Spirit says: v3 "Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Illustration: I want to illustrate this with a football story. Use your imaginations to picture the following: One little team, which averages about 120 pounds per man, is lined up on offense against another team on which each man weights well over 300 pounds. They're big muscular guys-GIANTS!Well, the coach of the first team-the little guys-calls the first play for Johnson, who is the fullback, to take the ball off tackle. But instead, the quarterback fakes a hand off to Johnson and tries a bootleg around the end. That play fails-the quarterback is smothered. Well, the coach sends in a player who tells the quarterback once again to give the ball to Johnson, but instead as the coach watches with great frustration the quarterback gives the ball to the halfback, who goes straight into line and is absolutely creamed. Once again the coach sends instructions to give the ball to Johnson but as the ball is snapped the quarterback hands off to another player who is flattened by one of the giants on the other team. Well, this time the coach yells from the sideline, "HEY! I said, 'Give the ball to Johnson!'" And on the field, Johnson steps back from the huddle and yells back to the coach, "Johnson doesn't want the ball!"

Well, that is a picture of the tragedy of the modern church. Christians whom our "coach" the Holy Spirit calls to take the gospel to a friend or neighbor or co-worker respond by saying in essence, "Johnson doesn't want the evangelistic ball!
Let the pastor do it!
The Great Commission-will only be accomplished when churches are bold enough to follow the example Antioch has set and disciple it's members such that they see evangelism as their PERSONAL responsibility.

Points to Ponder:
1st True Ministry Starts from the Church Outward!
2nd True Ministry Will Progress to Evangelism!
3rd True Ministry Is About GETTING IN THE GAME!

Paul and Barnabas were the first missionaries ever to be sent out by a church on a purely evangelistic mission. Paul travels has been calculated to have covered the equivalent of at least 13,400 miles-on the open sea-through storms-over rough mountain roads.
No luxury liners-no planes, trains, or automobiles-only slow moving leaky sailing ships and sandal-shod feet.

In Paphos, Paul, Barnabas and John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, whom they picked up in Cyprus-well, they had to confront a demonic magician-a tool of the devil.
In Perga or Pamphilia, several biblical scholars believe Paul contracted malaria, an illness that plagued him off and on for the rest of his life.

In Psidian Antioch where Paul preached in a local synagogue. His message was well received and he was invited to speak further. In fact on the next Sabbath pretty much the whole city turned out to hear him speak but some of the Jews got jealous at his speaking to the Gentiles and they were run out of town.

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas had great success initially but some of the Jews stirred up a sort of lynch mob and planned to stone them but Paul and Barnabas found out about it and left town.
In Lystra God used Paul to heal a crippled man and that drew a great crowd who eagerly listened to what they had to say. In fact many people there in Lystra thought Paul and Barnabas were gods-but then some of the Jews from Iconium who had followed the two arrived and stirred things up such that Paul was stoned, dragged outside of town and left for dead.

2nd Corinthians 11:23-33 “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. 33But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.”
Getting In The Game—Leaves Scars!