Acts 14:20-28

                                                             Acts 14:20-28

But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.  And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.  Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.

Paul was stoned and left for dead, but God spared his life for the cause of Christ.  The determination of the apostles to continue with the mission to which they had been appointed no matter what the personal cost is amazing.  There is a sequence that can be observed in this concluding description of the first missionary journey.  It demonstrates three important aspects of the work of a missionary.

 

ANNOUNCING THE LORD: The basic task of any missionary is to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is the essence of our mission to tell others how they can be rescued from sin through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf.  This is the message that transforms those who believe and infuriates those who reject it.  No matter how people respond, the mission to spread the glory of the Lord and the hope of the Gospel does not change.  Even in the face of persecution and at risk of our own lives, announcing the Lord to lost people is our priority.

 

APPOINTING THE LEADERS: Paul and Barnabas reached their destination on the journey and then made their return trip stopping in the places they had gone.  The purpose of these visits was to encourage the saints, observe their progress, answer questions, and mostly to appoint leaders for the new congregation.  A period of time was necessary to allow the new believers to demonstrate that their faith was genuine and allow them to grow and gain the respect of the community.  Appointing leaders can be a difficult task, but it is one of the most important aspects of church planting.  Without local leaders, congregations will struggle and likely become dependent on outside help.  In a new church plant, there is often a dearth of people we feel are qualified.  We must learn to be patient and trust the Spirit to work in their hearts as He qualifies and equips them for ministry.

 

APPRECIATING THE LABORS: When Paul and Barnabas completed their first journey, they returned to Antioch to give a report to the church of what God had done through the mission’s outreach of the church.  This is a time of encouragement for both the church and the missionaries.  The mission is not just accomplished by the missionaries.  It is a work that the Spirit does through every member of the body of Christ.  The missionaries were received back into the fellowship and played a role in the life of the body that was vital.  This relationship between the church and the missionaries is instructive to us today.  We are all working together for the cause of Christ, in the power of the Spirit for the glory of the Father.

 

APPLICATION: There will always be a mixed response to the preaching of God’s Word.  When those responses turn violent, we must not allow fear or shame to cause us to shrink from our responsibility as messengers.  Perseverance is fundamental to our mission.  When the Gospel enters a new area of the world, one of the most important tasks is to identify, train, appoint, empower, and entrust local leaders to carry the work forward.  Local churches should not become dependent on outside resources.  We all have a task so perform in the task of advancing the Gospel.  As we serve God in a united body we must faithfully communicate with one another.  

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