New Testament Survey

NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY THE BOOK OF ACTS LECTURE 11 ACTS 13

How Missionaries are chosen and sent 1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. Do you think that most churches like ours follow these verses here in ‘sending out missionaries’? Let’s see what this ‘model church’ actually did in regards to Missions: (1) The church in Antioch was commissioned probably directly from that first church in Jerusalem. The Antioch church became a notable Missionary sending church. This church was healthy (as all churches should be like) in that they had some preachers/teachers that were ready to go to the mission field when called upon. Saul and Barnabas were both members of that church (vice Jerusalem’s). These 5 men were leaders in that church. (2) This is the Biblical way to get ready to be called and to go to the mission field God has for you: busy ministering and also fasting for God’s will. They knew some big decision was about to be made. They were trying to hear from the Holy Ghost. He is the guide in the calling, and tells the church what to do; no mission board or denominational structure involved; not even a Pastor dictating where each would go… It is always best to be sent with another key man to help you with the work: accountability, encouragement, helper. The Holy Spirit had already called these two, and probably these 2 knew their calling already; just waited for the church to agree. It was a ‘work’; thus we often call church plants ‘works’. And, it is work to do this, indeed. This ‘separation’ would involve sending them out. (3) Proper “commissioning” of Missionaries from a church: fasting, praying, laying hands on, sending them. It is no light thing. There is no scriptural support for any other entity commissioning a missionary. And, when they sent them away, the two ‘Missionaries’ did set out on 2 to 3 years of ‘Deputation’!... (4) The Holy Spirit is to lead them in this undertaking; the mission may develop as they go (i.e. go to China and see how the Spirit leads). “The distance from Antioch to Seleucia by water is about 41 miles, while the journey by land is only 16 ½ miles” (Barnes' Notes). Cyprus is an island not far from Seleucia; Salamis (now know as Constantia) was the principal seaport of Cyprus. They travelled to nearby cities to evangelize; they started close and then spread out over about 500 miles and then returned back to their home church. (5) The word Missionary does not appear in our Bible; here they are acting as “Evangelists” initially and then later churches formed. Saul and Barnabas were later called apostles. ‘Missionary helpers’ are scriptural, and necessary; i.e. John Mark. He ‘ministered’ to their needs. Who will set out and be a ‘John Mark’?!....

When you just start stepping out by faith for God, be sure that the Devil will try to attack 6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Do Missionaries often experience a lot of ‘attacks’ and ‘trials’ when they first set out on their ‘mission’? (6) Not soon after they had enterred their field, the Devil attacks; this is typical. 1 (7) It is wise to go after influential leaders in a particular area (Sergius Paulus). (8) Be sure of this, when you attempt to get the gospel to a key person, the Devil will try and ‘withstand’ you and ‘turn away the person from the faith’. He may use “Elymas’” to ‘mess things up’. (9-11) Preachers, soulwinners, etc, need to be filled with the Spirit so they are bold enough to withstand the attacks of the Devil. God doesn’t take kindly to someone preventing another from hearing the gospel and getting saved…and neither should we. Point out the ‘interferer’ and call them a ‘child of the devil’ and ‘enemy of all righteousness’! We can’t curse them, but we sure can beg for God to. (12) We need to speak our “doctrine” boldly, and some will be astonished by it, and believe!

Paul preaches on Israel’s history and brings them to Jesus 13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. 17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. 18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. 19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. 20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. 21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: 24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. (13) Missionary helpers are greatly used of God. They can help for the time they can and then go back home. Later, Paul believes that John Mark ‘quit the team’. The ‘company’ was a ‘missions team’; what churches practice this type of ‘church planting’ / Missionary / Evangelist work???... (14-15) What better place to preach the truth than to religious people that might actually be persuadeable. Would to God the lost would ask us to preach to them! Preachers need to give out these “words of exhortation”. (16+) A good lesson on how to witness to folk that are “religious”: find common ground; use Scripture they are familiar with and might even agree with you on. (23) Paul finally gets to the main point; He took them from Moses to David and finally to Jesus Christ; that was his goal; he had to get them connected to the Saviour. (24) They all knew what John preached. They had at least some respect for John. And, he said that he was nothing compared to the Messiah. Always start talking about a Baptist and you will get things brewing…..

26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him from the dead: 31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. Paul has gone from a brief overview of the history of the Jews to Jesus Christ; he presents the gospel to them. (26) There are people out there who truly do ‘fear God’ (albeit, very few); these are the ones who will recognize the truth when you tell them and will run towards it. But, sadly, most who you will meet do not really fear God and are

2 going to continue with their erred biases and will perish in Hell. Go out evangelizing and looking for whosoever among you feareth God…and send them the truth of salvation! (27) In general, those in Jerusalem rejected Christ. The books of the O.T. spoke of the Messiah and the Jews totally missed it; they had their own view of who the Messiah should be. We should read the Word of God in church services every Lord’s Day. (29) Everything dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ was according to plan…according to prophecy. There wasn’t one moment in Jesus’ life that was out of ‘the plan’. (30-31) The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, so they probably perked up a bit on this part (Saducees did not). What happened on these ‘many days’? 1 Cor 15:4-8 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Matt 27:52-53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Jn 21:14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. Ac 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Let’s learn about the ‘Eternal Sonship’ of Jesus Christ, and when He was ‘begotten’ of the Father 32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. These 2 passages directly relate to one another. How? So, what day was Jesus Christ actually ‘begotten’ as His ‘Son’? Upon His resurrection? At His birth? Prior to that? Many might say that it seems from the sentence structure that the Lord was begotten upon His resurrection. Well, yes and no to this. I’ll explain. This doctrine we will study here is known as the Eternal Sonship of Jesus Christ. First of all, the ‘no’: Jesus Christ did not become God’s Son upon this resurrection; nor was He known by some other title prior to this (i.e. the Second Person of the Trinity); if you were going to pick a time for the beginning of His Sonship with line of reasoning, it would be better to choose at His birth, vice the resurrection; for, a mother ‘begets’ a child upon the birth (numerous accounts of this in the O.T.). Thus, there must be a ‘deeper’ meaning here since it is tied in with the resurrection. Now the ‘yes’: Rom 1:3-4 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, These 3 above passages explain that Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God with power upon His resurrection; He was the first ‘son’ begotten from (of) the dead…for the Father gave life again to Jesus’ earthly tabernacle. We are all sons of God (we Christians), and will someday be resurrected, likewise. Jesus received an immortal ‘human type’ body on this day…and we will have one similar to His - 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. “In other words, the resurrection of Christ was merely the manifestation of a Sonship which existed before, but was only then "declared with power." Are we not warranted, then, on the apostle's own authority, in understanding his meaning here to be the same - "Today," meaning that memorable day of His resurrection from the dead, when God, by an act not to be misunderstood, proclaimed that He whom men killed, by hanging Him on a tree, was none other than His own Son. As Meyer happily expresses, 'it was the divine legitimation of His Sonship’. ” (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary) Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; This states that the Father’s “Son” ‘made the worlds’… He was the ‘Son’ at Creation. (See also: Col 1:13,16, 1Jn 4:10, Jn 16:28) [For more information on this, I recommend reading J.C. Philpot’s monumental work in 1860 called “The True, Proper, and Eternal Sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God”.] 3 34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. 35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. What does it mean that Jesus saw no corruption (Ps 16:10)? Our bodies, when they die, do indeed see corruption…the flesh corrupts and falls off the skeleton! 1Co 15:42,50,53 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Jesus Christ never went to Hell, the place of torments, to suffer for mankind’s sins; He suffered on the cross for those and then said ‘It is Finished!’ He did, though, go the place of departed saints, Abraham’s bosom, Paradise, and preach to them and then took them to Heaven (new Paradise). (Eph 4:8-10) The corruption might be related to His physical body that lie in the tomb; it apparently underwent absolutely no corruption. David’s physical body definitely saw corruption; dig up his grave now and see what remains of him. The key is that His body did not lie long enough in the tomb to see corruption; moreover, God made sure that His body saw absolutely no corruption, whatsoever!

38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. Make sure that you tell them the ‘Good News’: ‘preach unto them the forgiveness of sins’; ‘all that believe are justified from all things’ (which the Law could never do). But oh so many then, as well as today, will either ‘despise’ the Gospel, or the will simply ‘wonder’ at it; but argue with it or wonder at it as you may, you will ‘perish’ in Hell if you do not wholeheartedly accept it!

42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. (42) Oh how wonderful it is to have folk be excited about the next weeks church services! (42-43) Get the scoffers away and someone might actually voice their excitement about what you said to them about the Lord. It is a good thing to encourage the preacher each Sunday. They told them to abandon the ‘Law’ and ‘continue in the grace of God’ for salvation (44) What would it take to get almost the whole city to come to church next week?...

4 (45) When a church starts growing and getting noticed, “religious” folk around will badmouth it (they get envious). Be careful not to get envious of other ‘larger works’ out there, dear preacher. (46) Should one ever ‘abandon’ a certain ‘field’ or ‘people group’ for evangelism? What happens if you go doorknocking in a town for 5 years and never have a convert?... (47) Paul was sent to the Gentiles as a Missionary. He had a really big “field” to cover. Most struggle with just one little town. (48) Does this support ‘Calvinism’ and ‘Electionism’? God had desired (ordained, appointed, elected) that the Jews get saved, but they put it from them…rejected it. The Gentiles were then ‘ordained’ (appointed, elected) to get saved. No- one can get saved unless God first gives them ‘belief’. I believe that God only will give this saving belief to those whose hearts are right and ready and ripe for it. God looked upon those Gentiles and ‘chose’, ‘ordained’, ‘appointed’ those with ready hearts to receive eternal life…and these subsequently ‘believed’. Or, it could mean that all those Gentiles there believed, since, as a group, they might have been ‘ordained to eternal life’. This is one of the more difficult passages in the Bible… (49) After these got saved they quickly spread the Gospel throughout the region. The Bible needs to be orally published, but also published in written form… There are many people groups and lands that do not have a Bible. (50) The first phase of the Mission was successfully completed at least. Missionaries need to get busy because they may not have much time to accomplish their mission before the government, etc, expels them. (51) Apparently, missionary endeavors can end in an area if it becomes too unsafe….then you ‘shake off the dust’ and move on.