An Antioch Moment for Shepherd Bible Church (Acts 13:1-3)
Introduction
I received a text this week from my nephew Ben: Read from Phone
Hi Uncle Rodney! Just wanted to share some news from our family: This fall, we’re moving to Kyrgyzstan (God Willing!)
I’ve accepted a new role leading agricultural development with an established group working to support regional farmers, grow food security, and plug in with the local believers and ministries across the region. It’s a big step, but one we feel called to; we’re excited to take it on together. More updates soon, but we’d really appreciate your prayers as we prepare.
May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13.
Ben and Rose have been married for 13 years and have four children. While Ben was growing up, his family did many short-term missions to South America and Mexico. Ben has a missionary’s heart, a love for the lost and a desire to lead others to Christ. Ben and I visited at family gatherings over the years and always enjoyed something of the Lord together. We have developed a closer relationship over the past two years while discipling him as to how a local church should be structured, the value of pastoral care and membership. They began attending Emmanuel Bible Church in Great Falls, MT and then excitedly became members just a few months ago. It was such a comfort to know that they now had a church family in rural MT.
Ben called me a few months ago asking for prayer regarding his employment. The company did fail financially a few weeks later. As we discussed what the Lord may have for them, Ben expressed confidence in the Lord’s ability to provide. A few days later a Christian who oversees a ministry in Muslim dominated Kyrgyzstan called him. His lead missionary was returning to the states and had told him to contact Ben. This missionary was praying that Ben would be the one to take his place.
Ben has told me that Kyrgyzstan is a safe country. We talked on Thursday about the Lord’s leading and the timeline for heading over there. As we were concluding our conversation, he said, “I am told that it will be safe for us until the Lord wins his first convert.”
Ben and Rose have been in preparation their entire lives, they have recently experienced the pleasure of obedience by becoming members and serving in a local church in Great Falls, MT and now they are proceeding with confidence in the Lord to do what they believe God is calling them to do, to reach lost souls in Kyrgyzstan.
This is an Antioch Moment for them.
Those are my main points. Each of us are in preparation for the work God has designed for us (Eph 2:10). We find pleasure in obedience during our preparation. We will then proceed with confidence, relying on the power of God to provide.
Background Context
Justin started his first sermon from Ephesians by asking a couple of questions: “What is the Church?” and “What is it for?” Ephesians 1:2 says: Grace and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Justin explained that grace is that saving action, the good news of the Gospel. God acted in Grace toward us. Peace is what flows from that saving action of God. The result of salvation is evidence of a new life in Christ and restoration of peace. The church is the beginning of the realization of God’s work to renew everything. We are part of God’s plan, and everything is working out according to that plan.
We are God’s possession and therefore do not belong to ourselves. God has a plan for you and for us as a church. God not only has a plan, but he has the Ability, Active Energy and Might/Dominion/Rule to carry that plan out. Justin wrapped up saying that You/We are the demonstration of God’s power in this earth. We need to act like it and praise the Lord for his power to us.
Ephesians presents theology and doctrine as to how the church is to live; whereas Acts teaches by example; it shows us how a church is to function day-to-day. As a new church plant, it is important to understand that we are not an end to ourselves but rather to learn what God expects from us. As Justin has said multiple times, we are to be a church who demonstrates God’s grace and peace to the world around us. We are to function counter- culturally without fear of persecution or shame of the gospel. Paul encourages Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8-9 To not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord but share in the suering for the gospel by the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
Acts 13 marks a major transition primarily from Peter to Paul. Luke now transitions to the expansion of the gospel to the Gentiles including Rome, which Jesus described in Acts 1:8 as “the end of the earth.”
What we have here is a moment in time, what John Piper called an Antioch Moment:
Preparation: There is a time of preparation, each for us individually and collectively. Putting on the new self, putting o the old self, growing in sanctification. This is what we find in verse 1.
Verse 2 gives us the thought of Pleasure in obedience: Do we find real and lasting pleasure in serving the Lord in full obedience where he has us today. This will be expressed in a thankful and loving Spirit. Prayer is key to preparation and leads to obedience. Verse 2 gives us pleasure in obedience.
Proceeding with Confidence in the Lord is what we see in Verse 3: When we recognize that we are being prepared for His work and find pleasure in obedience, we will proceed with confidence in the Lord.
We will start with preparation. We each, whether we know it or not, are being prepared. God is working in us to prepare us to do the work he has given us to do.
Look at verse 1, “Now there were in the church at Antioch”. Wait, how did a church get started in Antioch? Antioch was at the crossroads of trade from Egypt, Rome and Persia. It was third in population behind Rome and Alexandria. It was a little smaller than the city of Minneapolis with maybe as many as 500,000 people. Antioch was a melting pot of Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs and about 25,000 Jews – a perfect place to demonstrate the grace, peace and power of God. A faithful Hellenistic Jew from Antioch, Nicolaus was chosen along with Stephen, Philip and others to care for the widows back in chapter 6.
In Acts 11, we read about how the church was established in Antioch. Let’s read vs. 19-21.
Most of the Christian Jews who fled from Jerusalem due to persecution after the stoning of Stephen focused on preaching to the Jews. However, when some reached Antioch who were from Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, and Cyrene – the North African Coast go to Antioch, they started preaching to Gentiles and the Lord blessed the outreach. So, we are talking about preparation. The Lord is saving people to establish a testimony to his grace in this city. God’s plans are never thwarted.
Many here know the story of the Chicago fire in 1871. The fire killed 300 people and left
90,000 people homeless. A pastor and his family were among the homeless. He preached 3
the last sermon from the pulpit at the Illinois Street Church that Sunday night. He encouraged the listeners to go home and consider the gospel message and return the next week to hear more. Many noticed an orange glow in the distance as they walked home. The fire swept through their area and when morning came, all he had left was his family and his Bible. Their house and church building were lost. He realized the urgency with which we must preach the gospel message. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” There is a day coming when the Lord will no longer be nearby. He is near today. Seek him in prayer, ask that the Spirit would open your eyes to the truths of the gospel and your need for salvation. This was an Antioch Moment for this preacher and the congregation.
Continuing with preparation – we have prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. Prophets were a special gift to the early church. We typically think of prophets as foretelling the future, which we do read of a few times in Acts. However here it was primarily practical guidance from God for the early church. Teachers explain the word of God. It is likely that these men were all Prophets and Teachers. The church is being led by gifted men who teach the scriptures and are led by the Spirit. They were being prepared.
Now for the men: Barnabas. We first met Barnabas in Chapter 4. He was a Hellenistic Jew from Cyprus. He invested in his eternal inheritance by selling a field and giving the money to the apostles. Barnabas means “son of encouragement.” Barnabas helped the saints overcome their fear of Saul after Saul’s conversion. Let’s go back to Acts 11 and read verses 21-24.
Barnabas was sent by the Jerusalem church to Antioch to help plant the church there. His presence was one of encouragement, likely a peacemaker. He strongly encouraged or exhorted them to be faithful to the Lord. Luke describes him as a good man. High praise from Luke who reserved that description for only Barnabas and Joseph of Arimathea. The Lord blessed the saints through Barnabas and added to the church. Barnabas has life filled with preparation and pleasure in obeying God’s calling.
Next, we have Simeon who was called Niger, likely due to a dark complexion. He is likely from Africa and may have been among the Christians who escaped from Jerusalem to Antioch.
Lucius of Cyrene is from North Africa; it is thought that Lucius may been part of the synagogue of the Cyrenians mentioned in Acts 6:9 prior to his salvation. He likely fled north due to persecution after Stephen’s stoning as well.
Manaen, the Greek word used to describe him could imply that he was raised or nursed by the same person, a foster brother, or potentially a life-long companion and advisor to Herod Antipas. The Herodians were generally wealthy Sadducees who supported the Roman government. Manaen would have had the best education Rome oered. Herod Antipas is the one who had John the Baptist killed and later mocked Jesus during his trial. Manaen, once the friend and counselor of a king, was now serving the King of kings. All of this history contributes to his Preparation for the task that the Lord had for him in Antioch.
Saul is Hebrew for the Greek name Paul. We know Paul well. He was introduced to us at Stephen’s stoning as a young man named Saul. He was saved less than three years later and thought he was ready to serve with the apostles in Jerusalem, but God had more preparation time for him. After a short time in Damascus and Jerusalem, the Apostles sent Paul to his hometown area of Tarsus for his safety.
It is about 10-12 years later we read about him in Acts 11:24-26.
Barnabas recognized the need for additional help. Our English translation loses the sense of the Greek phrase. It describes almost a street-by-street search with no plan to return without Paul. We know that he was a devout Pharisee before salvation. Pharisees looked down on Sadducees and Herodians.
God providentially executes his plan. God was displaying them as trophies of his grace with resulting peace between former foes. In summary, we have Simeon and Lucius who probably fled north 300 miles to Antioch due to Paul’s persecution. Manaen the Herodian who traveled among kings and Paul the pharisees who would have despised Manaen prior to salvation. We all love Barnabas the encourager. What a team! What a work of the Lord! Only he could do this.
As we look around the room, who do we see among us? Are we not all trophies of God’s grace? We each know our own hearts and their desires. Deliverance from the bondage of sin through salvation is all a work of God. It is all part of that ongoing preparation for what he has for us.
The Chicago fire in 1871 was just one more experience in the pastor’s life. 10-15 years earlier, this pastor left a successful shoe business to volunteer as a janitor for the YMCA. As an unpaid city missionary, he used a converted saloon to reach the lost youth of the city. Later, during the Civil War he led a gospel outreach that ministered to both Union and Confederate soldiers. No one new this young man beyond his immediate circle. The Lord did, and the Lord was preparing him. The Illinois Street Church was planted seven short years before the fire.
This man was experientially living out what it means to have pleasure in obedience. He was doing what he believed God had equipped him to do.
We find this in verse 2 of chapter 13. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” The King James and Legacy Standard Bible use the word “ministering” while the NASB uses the word serving. They were worshiping, they were ministering, they were serving the Lord.
One person defined worship as “public service at one’s own expense.” They were doing what they were supposed to do, they were being a church. The priority is Holy Spirit controlled worship, service and ministering. A couple of verses that exhort us are in Romans 12. Romans 12:1-2. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This is worship. The mercies of God are what Paul explained to the Roman saints in chapters 1 -11. I will not go into it here, but it is the truth of our inability, outside of Christ, to measure up to God’s standards. We all fall short of his glory. Yet he is just, to be in his presence we must be justified and holy. God sent is son to die the death that I deserved so that I would be given eternal life. Now in Chapter 12, knowing the power which made those mercies viable:
We are honored to serve him.
We want to have our minds transformed so we can discern what the will of God is for us.
We want to do that which is good, acceptable and perfect!
Don’t we?
Back to our chapter, we have this wonderful church in Antioch, led by qualified leaders who are teaching the whole counsel of God, pointing them to Christ against the surrounding culture of the day. They are learning through Paul’s teachings of the all- sufficiency of the word of God. They are learning from each other how to live as a body of believers, how to be a testimony in the world around them. It was a scripture focused church with their eyes on Christ wanting to discern what is next for them. They were walking in obedience.
Prayer and fasting are tied together in the New Testament. Fasting is voluntary. It likely points to this occasion as extra special where they were earnestly desiring the guidance of the Holy Spirit on an important matter. We are not commanded to fast today, but we do have spiritual battles. There may be times in our lives where we want the Lord’s guidance to the degree that we miss a meal due to persistent entreaty.
We do not know which prophet received the message from the Holy Spirit, but Simeon, Lucius or Manaen likely verbally stated, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” If I had been in the congregation that day, I would have been like, no way! They are our main pastors, what are we going to do now? Can you imagine the privilege of sitting under Paul and Barnabas’ teaching for a year? As we read in Isaiah 49:6: “I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Paul had likely recounted to them what Ananias had told him in Acts 9:15 and 16 that, “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Isreal. For I will show him how much he must suer for the sake of my name.”
Paul, Barnabas and the other elders had taught these young Christians that obedience to the Word is what pleased God. This truth should please us as well. Consider Shepherd Bible Church. The Lord has worked to prepare us and to lead us here. When the elders started asking us to consider and pray about participating in this church plant, some of us surely shed tears and prayed that the Lord would give clarity. We may have even missed a meal as we sought his guidance. We read earlier in Romans 12 that we are transformed by the renewal of our mind which happens when we read and pray. We seek to discern his will, to know it. This does not mean that it is always easy, but the mercies of God demonstrate his power to us. When we know his will for us and do it, we experience pleasure in obedience.
We rejoice that only the Lord could put this body together. We seek the Lord’s direction for others who the Lord may be leading to join with us in this work. What a joy!
Now look at verse three. We have seen the preparation, pleasure in obedience, and now we have proceeding with confidence in the Lord. We each have been prepared through the mercies of God for the work he has set before us as individuals and as a church. The routine day-in day-out obedient walk with our fellow saints pleases the Lord. We see here that the Antioch church was ready. Verse three: “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them o.”
The saints were well taught. They enjoyed pleasure in obedience. I believe what we are witnessing here in verse 3 is the asking for added clarity and then committing the church, and Paul and Barnabas to the Lord’s care. There is a time for prayer which is followed by obedience in action. This is a pivotal step for this church. Paul and Barnabas were busy in Antioch as elders, serving the saints, and preaching the gospel. Who would step in to pick up their ministries? Where are Barnabas and Paul going? What about financial support, food, etc. They were going to unknown cities where the name of Christ had not been named. During this time of fasting and praying, the Lord gave them clarity and peace to proceed with confidence in his provision.
They laid their hands on them, a true expression of love and togetherness. They were demonstrating oneness with Paul and Barnabas’ work. Today we would call Antioch their sending church, but this mission is inaugurated by God himself through the church. It was the work for which God had prepared them and then gave them to do. The church agrees that God is calling them to this task. The Spirit calls, the church discerns and responds.
John Piper uses the term “Antioch Moment” to describe major points in a church’s life. God provides clarity through his word to the leadership and the body. Bethlehem Baptist was planted with 23 members as First Swedish Baptist Church of Minneapolis in June 1871 by First Baptist Church. This was just four months before Illinois State Street church building in Chicago was lost to the great Chicago fire. The small church did not know that they would suer the same fate four years later. We know that that infant church has grown and is now a wonderful testimony in downtown Minneapolis and around the world to God’s mercies and grace – his power toward us.
So, in conclusion: Returning to our theme of preparation, pleasure in obedience and proceeding with confidence in the Lord.
We read historical accounts of God’s faithfulness because we see the next phases of the story. We witness God’s faithfulness throughout the scriptures. We know that God provided for Paul and Barnabas. We know that God provided for the Antiochene church for centuries. We have learned about a young janitor who was being prepared for service. He was born to Edwin and Betsy as their sixth child. He ended his formal education after the fifth grade and left the family farm at 17. His uncle hired Dwight to work at his family shoe shop conditional upon him attending church every Sunday. It was there he came under the teaching of Edward Kimball. Edward was so devoted to the Lord and to the young men in his class that he would go out during the week to check on them. One day, he met with Dwight in his uncle’s stockroom to give him the gospel. Shortly thereafter, Dwight L. Moody repented of his sins and was saved. We are all familiar with D.L. Moody’s legacy today. The preparation that God had for Moody was not easy. He made counter cultural decisions. He lived his whole life knowing that his preparation would never end while he was alive. His obedience led to blessing and the ability to proceed with confidence in Him.
What about us? I believe we have had an Antioch Moment by being sent out by Eden Baptist Church. Let us realize that God is preparing each of us individually and together for the work that he has before us. We are to reach those around us locally. It is an amazing thing that we can be a new beachhead in Rosemount for the gospel.
God has also so ordained that there would be beachheads around the world. We desire to be used of God somewhere else in the world. It is my prayerful desire that the Lord will continue to lead us in generosity. We should desire to be obedient to the great commission as Antioch was. We should all thank the Lord for this church in Antioch. The Lord used this church nearly two thousand years ago to start a church planting venture among the Gentiles of which we get to be a part. What a humbling joy it is to think that God could use this little church in Rosemount for the furtherance of the gospel.
May we approach each day as a preparatory day for what the Lord has before us. May we take pleasure in obedience and then proceed with confidence in the Lord. Let us go forward in the power of his might knowing that there will be more Antioch moments as the Lord wills.
Let’s pray.