Going with the Gospel | Acts 12:24-13:41
The beginning of Paul’s first missionary journey demonstrates six forces that compel us all to go with the gospel: (1) the passionate worship of God; (2) the opposition of false teaching; (3) the revealed plan of God; (4) the prophesied death of Jesus; (5) the prophesied resurrection of Jesus; and (6) the forgiveness and freedom of faith. This sermon is part 6 of “Spreading the Faith,” Bryan Craddock’s verse-by-verse sermon series on Acts 8-20.
My daughter has a jeep, and a few weeks ago the battery died. She was parked in a spot that had cars on both sides, so my jumper cables could not reach. I had to push the jeep back and across the parking lot, and it was hard to get it moving. Overcoming inertia is never easy.
Now I have pushed cars before, but I don’t remember those other times being that hard. Was the jeep just heavy and slow with its big wide tires? When I was in high school, I had an SUV with similar tires. One time I ran out of gas, and I managed to push it a block to a gas station. Of course, I was much younger then!
But the main difference between those two situations was an external force. Gravity! I had to push my daughter’s jeep up a slight incline. It wasn’t much, but it certainly didn’t help. Back in high school, however, I was able to get my vehicle rolling on a slight decline that led to a hill that I was able to take full advantage of that external force.
As Christians, we must overcome a spiritual form of inertia. Change and growth are never easy, but getting started in evangelistic outreach can be particularly challenging. Matthew 28:19 tells us that after his resurrection, Jesus called his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. In Acts 1:8, he said that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. But the early church did not leave Jerusalem to go to Samaria until they were forced to do so through Saul’s persecution described in Acts 8.
The first sustained effort to go with the gospel and spread the faith does not seem to occur until at least 15 years later. By that time Saul has come to believe in Jesus and is serving alongside Barnabas in Syrian Antioch. But the Lord works through the church to send them out on a missionary journey around Asia Minor during which Saul comes to be known as Paul.
Luke begins his account of their trip at the end of Acts 12 and continues it through chapters 13 and 14. It seems to me that his purpose in Acts 8-20 is to equip future generations to spread the faith. So, with that goal in mind, we could say that the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey, in Acts 12:24-13:41, demonstrates six forces that compel us all to go with the gospel.
We are not all called to travel to distant places, but we should have a heart to reach lost people. Fear, complacency, or pride may hold us back. But if we let them, the same forces that compelled Paul to go will help us overcome our evangelistic inertia.
The Passionate Worship of God
What things do you treasure? They may not fit into a chest or register in your bank account, but they captivate your thoughts. They bring you joy. They inspire devotion, sacrifice, and praise. You may not be able to keep yourself from talking about them.
You probably feel that way about certain people. You might value certain activities or interests that way too. But is it how you think about God? He deserves to be our greatest treasure. I think that this is what Jesus was getting at in Matthew 13:44 when he said,
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
We do not deserve it, but the hope of the gospel is for every believer in Christ to spend eternity in the kingdom of heaven in the presence of our gracious and glorious God. He deserves to be prized, loved above all else, and passionately worshiped. That is the reason that we exist, and it is the primary force that compels us to go with the gospel. In fact, Paul’s missionary journey begins with worship.
The end of Acts 11 tells us that he and Barnabas had gone to Jerusalem to deliver relief for believers there during a time of famine. But their departure from Jerusalem is not mentioned until the end of chapter 12, so they are probably present when Herod Agrippa I executes the Apostle James. Persecution like that could stifle any evangelistic impulse, but the Lord displayed his wrath by striking Herod down.
So, the church was probably emboldened by seeing God’s power at work. Acts 12:24-13:4 tells us,
But the word of God increased and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping 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. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
Luke mentions several individuals here. We will come back to John Mark in a moment. The other men listed at the beginning of chapter 13 are all gifted leaders in the church of Antioch. We do not know anything about Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen other than what is briefly mentioned here. But the important thing to note is that they are so caught up in worshiping the Lord that they fast, going without food for a time.
It is in the context of passion and focus that the Holy Spirit instructs them to send out Barnabas and Saul. Why? What is the connection? Our hearts are most aligned with the Lord when we are worshiping him, and as we celebrate his greatness, we are reminded that he deserves to be worshiped by everyone else in the world. Psalm 67:4-5 expresses this passion by saying,
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
Is that your heart? Do you treasure the Lord so much that you want everyone else to acknowledge his great worth and to join in worshiping him? You might assume that this mindset should come naturally to us, but it doesn’t. Our minds need to keep being renewed with biblical truth. We must overcome the worldly inertia of self-absorption. The self-denial involved in fasting can be a practical step in that direction. Going with the gospel starts with the passionate worship of God, but there is also an opposite force to consider.
The Opposition of False Teaching
On its own a steel spring looks like nothing more than a curious piece of contemporary art. The genius of its design is not evident until it is pressed or pulled. That is when you discover that it can counter those forces. That ability makes springs essential for all sorts of things from the mattress you sleep on to the vehicle that brought you here this morning.
There is a similar potential in each of us. Through the Holy Spirit’s work in our life, we can counter the forces that pull us and others away from him. But if you are never placed in that kind of situation, if you live your life in a protective Christian bubble, that potential will never be realized. So, as we begin to go with the gospel, the opposition we face from false teaching can strengthen our witness.
We see this spring dynamic at work in Saul. Thus far in the book of Acts, Luke has listed him as the second man in the team of Barnabas and Saul. It is not until they encounter opposition from a false teacher that Saul’s great potential is revealed. Luke begins to refer to him as Paul, and he takes the lead in spreading the faith throughout the rest of the book.
Luke introduces the encounter in Acts 13:5-8. The team had made their way to the island of Cyprus off the coast of Syria and Asia Minor, and Luke tells us,
When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Magicians are not necessarily evil. Magi came to worship Jesus after his birth. The term could simply refer to a wise man, but Luke identifies this man as a false prophet. He may have practiced divination or sorcery in violation of God’s command in Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Ironically, his name means son of Jesus, but he opposes the gospel of Jesus. He was probably employed by Sergius Paulus and knew that he would lose his job if the man became a Christian.
In verses 9-12, Luke tells us how Saul responds to this interference. He says,
But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
The miraculous curse that Paul declares is unusual but fitting. A false prophet who sought to blind others to the truth loses his sight. We may not encounter such extreme opposition, but there are still people who make crooked the straight paths of the Lord. We may not be able to call down a curse as Paul does, but we are all called to refute ideas that contradict the gospel. Jude 3 says,
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Contending for the faith puts your knowledge of biblical truth into practical use, but it can also reveal shortcomings in your learning. Perhaps it was that kind of realization that led to what happens in Acts 13:13. Luke tells us,
Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
We do not know why John Mark left them. Was he tired, homesick, or afraid? The timing of his departure suggests that it had something to do with this intense encounter. We will see in Acts 15 that his decision concerns Paul enough that he refuses to take John Mark along on his next journey. Perhaps John Mark just needed to grow and learn. Later in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul acknowledges his usefulness. He probably also went on to write the Gospel of Mark.
So, facing opposition is not necessarily bad. God can use it in our lives to motivate us and strengthen our witness. But you will not experience that unless you are seeking to interact with people from different backgrounds. We need to go with the gospel, but that does not mean that we only interact with those who oppose us. We need to consider a third force.
The Revealed Plan of God
Sometimes difficulty motivates people. President John F. Kennedy expressed that thought in his famous speech about going to the moon. He said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
But you don’t have to choose the most difficult path. To overcome our evangelistic inertia, we should follow the course that has already been laid out. Paul takes advantage of the clearly revealed plan of God. As he goes to new towns, he starts by seeking out God’s chosen people, the Jews, and reminding them of what they already know.
Acts 13:14-23 show how he uses this strategy. Luke tells us,
but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
The people in the synagogue already believed in the one true God and his word. So, they were open to hearing what Paul had to say. He makes his case by summing up key points in the storyline of the Old Testament. God rescued his people from Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and enabled them to conquer the promised land. He gave them judges to rescue them from other nations until he focused his plan on King David. The Psalms and Prophets promise salvation for the nation through a descendant of David, and Jesus is that Savior King.
Of course, the book of Acts shows that many Jews refused to accept Jesus as the promised Savior but others were fully prepared to believe in him. So, there is wisdom in reaching out to people who already have a biblical foundation. Today that might lead us to reach out to those who already have a church background but have drifted away from it. Some will be resistant, but others may simply need to be reminded of truths that they already know for seeds previously sown to sprout and bear fruit.
Paul recognizes the power of that kind of background in 2 Timothy 3:14-15. There he tells Timothy,
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
This passage highlights the importance of teaching all that God has revealed in the Bible to children. Even if they do not immediately respond, the Lord can work through that foundation in the future. That leads to another force.
The Prophesied Death of Jesus
When I was eight years old, Swiss Army knives seemed like the greatest invention ever. You could carry around a whole assortment of tools in your pocket! But when I got one, it didn’t take long for me to discover that most of those tools do not work well. Cutting through anything takes a ridiculously long time with those tiny scissors or that mini saw.
It’s hard to do multiple functions well, but that is not the case with the gospel. It is the powerful force that leads us to salvation. It then causes us to grow spiritually so that we become more like Christ. It is the key to being a good spouse, a good parent, a good worker, and a good citizen. It also compels us to go with the gospel. So, as Paul proclaims it in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch we see these functions at work.
We will split up his presentation into three parts and consider the compelling nature of each one. We start with the prophesied death of Jesus. Acts 13:24-29 tells us that Paul said,
Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
We are often quick to focus on the atoning power of Jesus’ death, but that is not Paul’s point here. Instead, he highlights the injustice of it all. He speaks of how John recognized his greatness as the promised Savior, but the Jewish rulers did not. They condemned him and demanded his death even though he was guiltless. Yet by doing so, they fulfilled the predictions of his suffering that are found in passages like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
Don’t you find the unjust death of Jesus compelling? Doesn’t it spark a desire to know more about him and the prophecies that speak of him? Isn’t there a part of you that wants to believe in him just because the Jewish authorities didn’t? Doesn’t his innocence entice you to follow his example? Doesn’t it make you want to go tell others the truth to set the record straight?
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul explains his devotion to Christ by saying,
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
The death of Jesus can be a powerful force to transform your life and inspire evangelistic effort, but it does not act alone. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, it works together with a fifth force.
The Prophesied Resurrection of Jesus
Darkness can be stifling. We feel it in the dead of winter. It saps your energy and drive. It leaves you feeling despondent. But we have days when the sun breaks through, and we know that if we just tough it out for a few months, brighter days are ahead.
There is, however, a stifling spiritual darkness that has enveloped the world since Adam and Eve first disobeyed the Lord. A death sentence hangs over us that can make life seem impossibly hard and exasperatingly pointless. Some Old Testament prophecies promise better days ahead, but no crack pierced the darkness until the resurrection of Jesus.
As Paul speaks to the people in Pisidian Antioch, he is compelled to point them to the light. He proclaims the resurrection of Jesus and says that it fulfills three prophecies. First, in Acts 13:30-33 he says,
But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'
The connection between this quote from Psalm 2:7 and the resurrection of Jesus is not obvious at first glance. The Psalm foretells the coming of a Messiah who will rule the nations. Some people claim that every Davidic king was a son of God. But none of those men ever had the power to accomplish anything close to what the psalm predicts. Only the true Son of God holds such power. So, in Romans 1:4, Paul says that by his resurrection, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God. It demonstrated his power to conquer not only nations, but death itself.
The next prophecy that Paul cites in the synagogue comes from Isaiah 55:3. Acts 13:34 tells us that he said,
And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'
The full verse in Isaiah promises life to every soul who listens. The Lord says that he will make an everlasting covenant of steadfast love. That unending relationship with the Lord is only possible through the resurrection of Jesus. He gives us the hope of a blessed life.
Paul finishes his thoughts on the resurrection by quoting from Psalm 16:10. Acts 13:35-37 tells us that he speaks of David and says,
Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
In the next verse in that psalm, David speaks of knowing the path to life in the presence of God forever. He draws joy and strength from that hope. But without the resurrection of Jesus that would not be possible for David or anyone else. Jesus is the trailblazer who escaped the corruption of death and opened the way for us.
So, the resurrection of Jesus brings the force of hope to bear on us. It draws us to him with the promise of eternal life. It enables us to persevere in this dark world as we wait for the full light of the Son of God’s reign. It also compels us to shine that light for others who are lost in hopelessness. How can we keep the good news to ourselves? That leads us to one more force inherent in the gospel.
The Forgiveness and Freedom of Faith
Picture a dog tied up in someone’s yard. He may feel free after being cooped up inside. The rope is long enough so that he can wander around. He might even forget that it’s there. Then something in the distance grabs his attention, and he starts running toward it. But he is jerked to an abrupt stop because it’s beyond the reach of his rope.
As fallen human beings, sin restrains us in a similar way. It entices us with the promise of freedom, particularly if you were raised in a morally restrictive home. Live life by your own rules! But if you try to pursue what is good and right, sin will only let you go so far until it jerks you to an abrupt stop. We like to think that we have the power to break away, but we don’t. That’s when you feel the true burden of sin.
The gospel of Jesus has the force to sever that restraint. Because of what he has accomplished in his death and resurrection, forgiveness and freedom is promised to all who believe in him. In Acts 13:38-39, Paul says,
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
The blessing of the Law was that it revealed the character of God and the standards for maintaining a relationship with him. But it did not enable people to reach those standards. Sin still restrained them. So, the Law only exposed people’s guilt and slavery.
On this occasion, Paul does not say how Jesus makes this forgiveness and freedom possible. But in his letter to the Romans, he explains that we can be spiritually connected to him. In Romans 6:5-6, he says,
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
This spiritual union with Jesus is not brought about through religious rituals or good deeds. Instead, we must simply believe in him. As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, we are saved by grace through faith. But a lot of people find that difficult to accept. Some insist that they can be good enough on their own. Others think that the promise of the gospel is too good to be true. So, Paul concludes his synagogue message in Acts 13:40-41 by saying,
Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: "'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
Do you believe? Don’t you feel the pull of the promise of forgiveness and freedom? And if you have experienced that change, doesn’t that make you want to share it with others who are still burdened by the guilt and slavery of sin?
__________
We must go with the gospel because God is worthy of worship. Because false teachers are leading people astray. Because the plan of God is moving forward. Because Jesus died and rose from the dead. Because whether they realize it or not, people desperately need the forgiveness and freedom that comes through faith in Christ.
If you have never done so, I encourage you to start believing in Christ. If you want to learn more about the powerful change that he can make in your life, spend some time reading the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel. If you believe, are you passionately worshiping the Lord? We can always grow in our focus on him, and as you do reach out to others and share the good news about Jesus.
May our glorious God be worshiped in spirit and in truth!
Reflect
Which of these forces has had the most impact on you? How so?
Which force do you need to pay more attention to? How could you do that?
What could you do this week to reach out with the gospel?