WEBVTT 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:16.539 Continuing in our mission's emphasis for this 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:18.480 month, we are going to be this morning in the 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.739 book of Acts chapter 13 specifically. If you 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:22.539 get a copy of the scriptures and you'd like to 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:25.280 follow along there in Acts 13, we'll be looking 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:28.519 at the beginning of the book. This was a book 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:32.119 that was written by Luke. the same author of 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:34.799 the Gospel of Luke. He was a physician. He was 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:38.219 a careful historian. He was a master in the Greek 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:40.820 language, which certainly helped as he wrote 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:43.039 this book. It had quite a following and was able 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:46.240 to reach many. He was the only Gentile author 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.140 of the Bible, interestingly enough. He was a 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:52.280 companion of Paul on many missionary journeys. 00:00:52.579 --> 00:00:55.640 This book was written likely in the early 60s 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:59.280 AD. We end chapter 12 with slightly little context 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:01.299 so we understand how we got here to chapter 13. 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:04.219 As we end chapter 12 of the book of Acts, we 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:06.500 see two important events set the stage for this 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:10.159 next chapter of the book. First, King Herod, 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:13.239 who had persecuted the church, was struck down 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:16.599 by God for pride and opposition to the gospel. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:19.959 His death signaled that earthly rulers who opposed 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:24.349 God would not stop his mission. Secondly, we 00:01:24.349 --> 00:01:26.650 see the Word of God continues to spread and grow 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:30.909 despite persecution. Barnabas and Saul, we find 00:01:30.909 --> 00:01:33.510 at the end of chapter 12, return from Jerusalem. 00:01:33.609 --> 00:01:37.109 They bring John Mark with them. And these closing 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:40.709 verses of chapter 12 prepare us for a new chapter 00:01:40.709 --> 00:01:43.290 in church history that we will unveil here in 00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:46.629 chapter 13, which is the intentional launching 00:01:46.629 --> 00:01:51.609 of missionary work to the Gentile world. This 00:01:51.609 --> 00:01:53.769 book of Acts was written to show how the message 00:01:53.769 --> 00:01:57.689 of Christ spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria 00:01:57.689 --> 00:01:59.969 to the uttermost parts of the world. That's Acts 00:01:59.969 --> 00:02:03.670 1 .8. It highlights the work of the Spirit, empowering 00:02:03.670 --> 00:02:06.569 ordinary believers to take part in God's work. 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:09.659 In fact, we see the first half of Acts primarily 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:12.900 focusing on Peter, the church at Jerusalem, some 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:16.080 Gentile work through Peter and through Philip, 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:18.460 and then the second half of the book mainly focusing 00:02:18.460 --> 00:02:22.039 upon Paul and his Gentile missionary journeys. 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.300 This is a real turning point here in Acts 13. 00:02:26.270 --> 00:02:28.610 We see a few main points we want to look at this 00:02:28.610 --> 00:02:30.370 morning, the role of the church as we see this 00:02:30.370 --> 00:02:32.750 movement of the gospel, the immediate spiritual 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:35.729 battle, and then the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:02:35.949 --> 00:02:38.550 So let's start in verse 1 here, the role of the 00:02:38.550 --> 00:02:43.270 church, verse 1. The text says, Now in the church 00:02:43.270 --> 00:02:45.550 that was at Antioch there were certain prophets 00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:48.629 and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called 00:02:48.629 --> 00:02:52.750 Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manan, who had been 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:57.319 brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and... So 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.560 to study the Acts of the Apostles is to study 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:04.180 the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. The 00:03:04.180 --> 00:03:07.060 events recorded in the book of Acts here are 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:11.379 the ascended... works as Christ has ascended 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:14.960 the disciples here on earth, we see the gospel 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.979 begin to be proclaimed, transcending boundaries 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:21.139 and empires and kingships and moving to the other 00:03:21.139 --> 00:03:23.319 ends of the earth by the time we get to the end 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:26.080 of the book. We find in this passage the act 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.680 of church planning and missionary efforts are 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:33.300 starting in and from the local church. Derek 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:35.680 Thomas would put it this way, the church was 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:38.979 never meant to be idle. The gospel is meant to 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:42.219 be spread to the ends of the earth. And while 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:45.180 the mission to Gentiles is not necessarily new, 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:47.460 you probably remember from earlier chapters in 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:49.240 the book of Acts, there had already been a breakthrough, 00:03:49.340 --> 00:03:52.000 if you will, to the Gentiles occur. Philip and 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.539 his witness to the Ethiopian eunuch, and then 00:03:54.539 --> 00:03:56.840 also Peter as he met with Cornelius there and 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.469 the Holy Spirit fell upon them. But the focus 00:03:59.469 --> 00:04:02.270 of our text now shifts to the city of Antioch 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:07.039 squarely and off of Jerusalem. is what we see 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:09.919 a shift in the Acts narrative. And what is new 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.259 is that we see a local church, for the first 00:04:12.259 --> 00:04:15.919 time, was led to see the need for a witness beyond 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:18.899 themselves to the larger world, and they commissioned 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:22.899 missionaries to carry out that task. This church, 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:25.740 Antioch, although not talked about quite as often, 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:30.300 had a very large influence on the expansion of 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:34.100 the gospel. We see the focus moved off of Peter 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:37.720 here and on to Saul and Barnabas and many missionary 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:41.000 workers who had come alongside Paul in his subsequent 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.480 journeys. Verse 2, As they ministered to the 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:47.500 Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:51.279 to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:54.360 I have called them. Now, I believe this is an 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:57.319 extremely important verse, and it's very significant 00:04:57.319 --> 00:05:00.699 that when we read verse 2, we find a church here 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:03.100 at Antioch that had already gathered. They were 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:05.199 already regularly gathering. They were already 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:07.600 worshiping the Lord, and they were already fasting. 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:09.560 This was a church that when they gathered, they 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:11.399 did not gather for entertainment. They did not 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:13.639 gather just for... church attendance. They gathered 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:16.060 to worship. It was intentional. They were fasting. 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:18.540 They were praying. They were seeking God's will. 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:21.300 And what we know about Barnabas and Saul is that 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:25.240 they were not random choices. They were not newcomers. 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:27.680 These were men who had already been doing work 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:29.459 in the ministry. In fact, at the end of chapter 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:31.959 12, we saw they had just returned from Jerusalem. 00:05:32.889 --> 00:05:35.970 They were qualified. They were available to teach 00:05:35.970 --> 00:05:39.089 and had been in the work for many years. We see 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:41.689 the entire church, most likely here in verse 00:05:41.689 --> 00:05:44.769 2, the congregation of Antioch gathered for worship. 00:05:44.990 --> 00:05:47.589 But there's a directive here that while they 00:05:47.589 --> 00:05:50.149 were worshiping, the Holy Spirit directs this 00:05:50.149 --> 00:05:53.470 community of believers to set apart Barnabas 00:05:53.470 --> 00:05:59.689 and Saul. Well, we see a church who was worshiping, 00:05:59.689 --> 00:06:01.990 they are open to the Lord's leading, and we see 00:06:01.990 --> 00:06:04.769 the Spirit of God direct the community in this 00:06:04.769 --> 00:06:08.389 way. We see throughout the entire book of Acts, 00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:12.310 it is God who took the initiative in every new 00:06:12.310 --> 00:06:16.009 development of the Christian witness. But Antioch 00:06:16.009 --> 00:06:17.970 was not a random selection of a church to launch 00:06:17.970 --> 00:06:20.189 these missionaries out of either. This was a 00:06:20.189 --> 00:06:23.110 church who had prepared themselves for the Lord's 00:06:23.110 --> 00:06:25.430 work. They were available and they were willing 00:06:25.430 --> 00:06:29.209 to do their part. In the labor, they had fasted, 00:06:29.209 --> 00:06:32.170 they had prayed, they were seeking divine leading, 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:34.829 and they were anxiously expecting to hear from 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:37.850 God Himself. And we must understand that this 00:06:37.850 --> 00:06:40.370 time in the book of Acts, fasting and praying 00:06:40.370 --> 00:06:43.889 were an integral part of worship. But this church, 00:06:43.930 --> 00:06:47.269 they were deeply burdened about where they should 00:06:47.269 --> 00:06:50.370 go, what they should do next in obedience to 00:06:50.370 --> 00:06:52.509 the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:06:52.970 --> 00:06:55.620 They turned to God in prayer. And I love that. 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:57.560 They were burdened. They turned to the Lord in 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:01.060 prayer. And their need, their love for the lost 00:07:01.060 --> 00:07:03.540 drove this church to prayer. And then in prayer 00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:06.939 drove this church to missions. They had a vision. 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:10.079 They had a desire. Without vision and desire, 00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:13.259 we will never see great advances in the cause 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:16.879 of the gospel without first seeing a church on 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:20.060 its knees in prayer before Almighty God asking 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.860 the Lord, what is His will? Show us what it is 00:07:22.860 --> 00:07:25.259 and empower us, Lord, to do it. It will never 00:07:25.259 --> 00:07:27.120 just happen randomly and on our own. We're not 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.220 just going to amble into it, but it is intentionally 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:33.680 seeking God's face and His will. Verse 3, Then 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:36.259 having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:40.040 they sent them away. So the Holy Spirit is impressed 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.620 upon them in verse 2 that Barnabas and Saul were 00:07:43.620 --> 00:07:45.660 to be set apart for the work of what we would 00:07:45.660 --> 00:07:48.860 call today missionary work. The congregation 00:07:48.860 --> 00:07:53.100 here in verse 3 responds in faith by first praying 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:56.610 and then laying on of hands. The laying on of 00:07:56.610 --> 00:07:59.110 hands is still practiced in the church today. 00:07:59.209 --> 00:08:03.110 It is a symbol. Many churches will lay hands 00:08:03.110 --> 00:08:06.110 on someone when they are ordained into the ministry, 00:08:06.290 --> 00:08:09.569 when they are commissioned into full -time missionary 00:08:09.569 --> 00:08:12.329 work. But what does that really mean? What is 00:08:12.329 --> 00:08:14.649 the significance and the symbolism of the laying 00:08:14.649 --> 00:08:16.850 on of hands? Because it's not something we do 00:08:16.850 --> 00:08:20.670 often. There is no actual power in those hands 00:08:20.670 --> 00:08:23.370 that conveys anything from one individual to 00:08:23.370 --> 00:08:26.029 another, but it does represent the blessing of 00:08:26.029 --> 00:08:28.850 God, and it's a rite that dates back to the earliest 00:08:28.850 --> 00:08:31.670 times in the Christian community. The reason 00:08:31.670 --> 00:08:33.669 for the laying on of hands here with Saul and 00:08:33.669 --> 00:08:35.889 Barnabas is that they are about to begin what 00:08:35.889 --> 00:08:39.129 we will later call their first missionary journey. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.179 But this did not just happen by chance. This 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:45.340 was nine years after Saul had been converted 00:08:45.340 --> 00:08:49.100 on the road to Damascus. As much as David was 00:08:49.100 --> 00:08:52.200 prepared in the pasture against a lion and a 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:54.159 bear to eventually go to battle with Goliath, 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:57.159 the Lord had been preparing Saul these nine years 00:08:57.159 --> 00:08:59.779 for the work that laid ahead. The church laid 00:08:59.779 --> 00:09:02.220 their hands on them as a sign of consecration. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.220 They separated these men out for the task that 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:08.220 the Holy Spirit had given them. They fasted in 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:10.919 accordance with the teachings. of Jesus, and 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:15.080 this fasting changed the course of human history. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:17.559 From this point forward, Christianity would invade 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:20.299 the heart of the Roman Empire. It would invade 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:24.039 and transform the very capital that even amidst 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:27.419 persecution, it would invade the city of Rome 00:09:27.419 --> 00:09:30.789 itself. This gesture of laying on of hands was 00:09:30.789 --> 00:09:33.730 more than just a symbol of the congregation's 00:09:33.730 --> 00:09:36.649 endorsing of Barnabas and Saul. They were separating 00:09:36.649 --> 00:09:39.350 them for the task that the Holy Spirit had called 00:09:39.350 --> 00:09:41.830 them to, and they had proven themselves faithful. 00:09:41.850 --> 00:09:44.070 They were commissioning them into full -time 00:09:44.070 --> 00:09:47.370 missionary work. Now we see a repeated theme 00:09:47.370 --> 00:09:49.610 here in the first three verses of this text, 00:09:49.649 --> 00:09:54.190 and it is how vital the local church is to missionaries. 00:09:54.779 --> 00:09:57.240 not just to support them while they're already 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.940 on the field, while that is important, but we 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:02.879 see the first commissioned missionaries here 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:05.480 and that the church of Antioch had gathered to 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.620 pray. Why? Because they were burdened for the 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:10.639 loss. They'd already taken up love offerings 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.299 and sent that back to Jerusalem and to poor believers 00:10:13.299 --> 00:10:16.000 and things like this, but now they're burdened 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.480 for the uttermost parts of the world, not just 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:20.139 those churches that were already established. 00:10:20.379 --> 00:10:23.340 And they pray and they fast and they ask the 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:26.389 Lord. What he would have them do. And the Holy 00:10:26.389 --> 00:10:28.750 Spirit responds by cutting out these two men, 00:10:28.789 --> 00:10:32.509 Saul and Barnabas, to full -time missionary work. 00:10:32.590 --> 00:10:35.309 That they would carry the gospel literally to 00:10:35.309 --> 00:10:38.629 the utter ends of the known world at that time. 00:10:38.809 --> 00:10:40.909 We see the faithfulness of this church. We see 00:10:40.909 --> 00:10:44.629 their desire. We see their vision. And it imparts 00:10:44.629 --> 00:10:49.250 to us that we might be a church here at Mamre 00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:53.769 that has a vision. that we would have a desire 00:10:53.769 --> 00:10:57.370 for missions, that we would be a praying church, 00:10:57.549 --> 00:10:59.570 that we would be a church that looks for the 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:04.490 Holy Spirit to move. May we have our hearts prepared 00:11:04.490 --> 00:11:08.309 in a condition that when the Holy Spirit moves 00:11:08.309 --> 00:11:11.230 upon us in a certain way, we would respond and 00:11:11.230 --> 00:11:13.710 we would react, that we would get behind people 00:11:13.710 --> 00:11:15.970 that God has called into particular ministries, 00:11:15.970 --> 00:11:18.250 into the mission field, and we would rally behind 00:11:18.250 --> 00:11:25.110 them. And friends, may we be a church that is 00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:30.110 sending and supporting. God, help us that we 00:11:30.110 --> 00:11:32.090 not only get people to the mission field, but 00:11:32.090 --> 00:11:34.289 that we then support them after they're there, 00:11:34.370 --> 00:11:36.789 more so than just financial giving. Friends, 00:11:36.950 --> 00:11:40.230 there are lost souls all over the world, and 00:11:40.230 --> 00:11:43.070 I pray that that mission work starts right here 00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:46.529 with us in Kitzhill, Ohio, at Mamre Baptist Church. 00:11:46.750 --> 00:11:48.950 R .C. Sproul would say this, we can commission 00:11:48.950 --> 00:11:53.129 people. But we have no power. We can license 00:11:53.129 --> 00:11:56.090 and we can ordain and we can send people on sacred 00:11:56.090 --> 00:11:59.330 tasks, but unless the Holy Spirit anoints them, 00:11:59.509 --> 00:12:03.669 their labors will be in vain. Let's look at our 00:12:03.669 --> 00:12:06.090 second section this morning, the immediate spiritual 00:12:06.090 --> 00:12:10.490 battle. We see Saul and Barnabas here going out 00:12:10.490 --> 00:12:14.009 in verses 4 -8. So being sent out by the Holy 00:12:14.009 --> 00:12:16.870 Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and there 00:12:16.870 --> 00:12:19.720 they sailed to Cyprus. And when they had arrived 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:22.480 in Salamis, they preached the word of God in 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.259 the synagogues of the Jews, and they had John 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:29.059 Mark as their assistant. Now they had been gone 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:32.500 through the island of Paphos. They found a certain 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:36.159 sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:40.259 Bar -Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:43.419 Paulus, an intelligent man. And this man called 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:45.639 for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.919 word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer, for so 00:12:48.919 --> 00:12:51.480 his name is translated, withstood them, seeking 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:55.659 to turn the proconsul away from the faith. This 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:57.799 text starts out with some geographical details. 00:12:57.899 --> 00:13:00.320 We'll break them down real quickly. Luke tells 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:02.399 us that it was the Holy Spirit that sent these 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:04.600 disciples, Saul and Barnabas, John, Mark, with 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:07.059 them to help on their mission first to Cyprus. 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:09.779 They traveled, they sailed specifically, if you 00:13:09.779 --> 00:13:12.259 guys will go to the next slide, about 60 miles 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:17.289 to Cyprus from Seleucia. And when they get there, 00:13:17.350 --> 00:13:21.190 they immediately begin to preach to the Jews 00:13:21.190 --> 00:13:24.470 in the synagogue. This is a model that Paul would 00:13:24.470 --> 00:13:26.549 follow through most of his future missionary 00:13:26.549 --> 00:13:29.470 journeys also. He would give the gospel first 00:13:29.470 --> 00:13:31.909 to the Jews, and then he would turn to the Gentiles. 00:13:32.269 --> 00:13:35.009 But they quickly encounter a false prophet here, 00:13:35.110 --> 00:13:39.389 a man whose Jewish name was Bar -Jesus. And he 00:13:39.389 --> 00:13:42.450 seemed to hold a very important position. In 00:13:42.450 --> 00:13:45.210 the local political structure, he was very close 00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:48.610 to the proconsul there. That proconsul, a term 00:13:48.610 --> 00:13:51.490 for someone who was an administrator over a Roman 00:13:51.490 --> 00:13:54.750 senatorial province. This bar Jesus, we're told 00:13:54.750 --> 00:13:56.909 in the text, associated himself with the ruler 00:13:56.909 --> 00:14:01.110 of Cyprus. He was present when Sergius Paulus, 00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:05.370 the proconsul, who was invited to hear the word 00:14:05.370 --> 00:14:08.879 of God. and it had been proclaimed already on 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:11.179 the rather large island of Cyprus. Sometimes 00:14:11.179 --> 00:14:13.899 we read about Paul's missionary journeys, and 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:16.220 we read these things like Saul and Barnabas go 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:18.279 to the island of Cyprus, and that doesn't really 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:20.480 resonate with us. We hear that as one place. 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:23.240 The island of Cyprus was quite large. It's almost 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:26.539 150 miles long. It's about 60 miles wide, and 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:29.220 there's about six major cities that would have 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:32.019 been there in the first century A .D. So it's 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:34.080 not like they just hit Cyprus and worked in one 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:36.379 place. They would work their way. through multiple 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:39.259 cities on the island of Cyprus and minister through 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:43.399 there. This Bar -Jesus, it is important. Luke 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:45.820 does describe him here in the Greek as someone 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:48.679 who was a charlatan, someone who was a trickster, 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:51.799 one who claimed false power. His name here written 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:54.460 in the original Greek is written in the derogative 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:58.940 connotation. The Romans, though, did value and 00:14:58.940 --> 00:15:00.919 put great power and revere on one who had so 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:04.019 -called powers as Bar -Jesus. claimed to have. 00:15:04.139 --> 00:15:06.139 So he had sort of found himself in a position 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:09.460 of political power. Bar -Jesus is a representation 00:15:09.460 --> 00:15:13.740 of a common enemy that we see on foreign fields 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:18.419 with missions. They see someone as Saul who is 00:15:18.419 --> 00:15:21.139 a potential threat and stood to oppose the teaching 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:23.620 of the Word of God truly at all costs, as we'll 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:25.539 see as we move through the text. Let's look at 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:28.279 our third section this morning. We see the power 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:31.179 and the authority of the Holy Spirit on display. 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.019 Let's read verses 9 and 10 together. Then Saul, 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:38.299 who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy 00:15:38.299 --> 00:15:41.539 Spirit, looked intently at him and said, O fool 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:44.960 of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.940 you enemy of all righteousness, you will not 00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:51.340 cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord. 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:54.340 Two immediate things to notice here in the text. 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:57.159 First, this is the first time in the book of 00:15:57.159 --> 00:16:00.740 Acts that we see Saul now referred to as Paul. 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:03.080 Secondly, we see that he is not acting on human 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:06.559 emotion. He is not acting on feeling. He is filled 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:08.899 with the Holy Spirit, and that is so very important 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:11.970 with what he says and what he does. We find Paul 00:16:11.970 --> 00:16:14.769 here trying to give the word of God to this Roman 00:16:14.769 --> 00:16:18.009 senatorial administrator, Sergius Paulus. He's 00:16:18.009 --> 00:16:20.570 interrupted over and over again by this false 00:16:20.570 --> 00:16:23.090 prophet who is trying to do everything he could 00:16:23.090 --> 00:16:26.570 to impede the presentation of the gospel to this 00:16:26.570 --> 00:16:29.029 important political figure. He was trying to 00:16:29.029 --> 00:16:31.029 prevent him from having a favorable response 00:16:31.029 --> 00:16:35.360 to it. And while it is not uncommon on the mission 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.980 field or even on a mission trip to experience 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:42.940 spiritual warfare, it should be expected. Barnabas 00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:45.639 and Saul were very new to this, but may I say 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:48.139 it is very dangerous business, as Bar Jesus would 00:16:48.139 --> 00:16:51.039 soon find out, to attempt to prevent the going 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:55.139 forth of the gospel. This response that Paul 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:58.360 gives is very direct. It kind of surprises us 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.509 a little bit. Paul's letters through the New 00:17:01.509 --> 00:17:04.710 Testament, we find someone that generally admonishes 00:17:04.710 --> 00:17:08.329 believers to be gentle, kind, patient, long -suffering, 00:17:08.329 --> 00:17:11.789 merciful, not always combative in that sense. 00:17:11.910 --> 00:17:14.309 He mirrored our Lord who was humble, who was 00:17:14.309 --> 00:17:18.890 meek, but... Those in a position of power when 00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:20.910 they rose up against our Lord Jesus and began 00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:23.509 to resist the truth of God, Jesus called them, 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:27.250 the Pharisees, the children of hell. Whitewashed 00:17:27.250 --> 00:17:29.450 sepulchers with an outward veneer of holiness 00:17:29.450 --> 00:17:33.049 but inwardly full of dead men's bones. It was 00:17:33.049 --> 00:17:35.650 our Lord who tossed temple tables yet without 00:17:35.650 --> 00:17:38.990 sin when the temple had been made into a den 00:17:38.990 --> 00:17:42.089 of thieves for lucrative trade displaying a righteous 00:17:42.089 --> 00:17:45.950 indignation. What Paul does here, he calls this 00:17:45.950 --> 00:17:48.329 false prophet. or Jesus, the son of the devil, 00:17:48.430 --> 00:17:50.829 acknowledging that he is in direct opposition 00:17:50.829 --> 00:17:54.990 to God himself. Why was Paul so moved? Well, 00:17:55.029 --> 00:17:56.990 certainly he was filled by the Spirit. But this 00:17:56.990 --> 00:18:00.430 is an apostle who would spend much of his time 00:18:00.430 --> 00:18:03.930 in jail. He would spend much of his time being... 00:18:04.430 --> 00:18:07.309 beaten and finally executed because he loved 00:18:07.309 --> 00:18:10.069 the lost so dearly, willing to go to the utter 00:18:10.069 --> 00:18:12.450 ends of the earth to reach them. He cared about 00:18:12.450 --> 00:18:14.390 their eternal destiny. And, church, I would pray 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:16.769 that we as a church would be awakened with that 00:18:16.769 --> 00:18:19.750 kind of passion that we see here that marked 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:22.690 this first... missionary effort of the Apostle 00:18:22.690 --> 00:18:25.730 Paul when confronted with those who were hindering 00:18:25.730 --> 00:18:27.750 the gospel that would not step aside, that were 00:18:27.750 --> 00:18:30.269 impeding it, going forth to those who desired 00:18:30.269 --> 00:18:33.069 to hear it, Paul spoke straightly and said, you 00:18:33.069 --> 00:18:36.609 child of the devil, get out of my way. Stop hindering 00:18:36.609 --> 00:18:39.990 the gospel. To give the word of God is very serious 00:18:39.990 --> 00:18:43.490 business, but to hinder it, to oppose it, to 00:18:43.490 --> 00:18:46.309 oppose God himself, Paul minces no words. Look 00:18:46.309 --> 00:18:49.680 at the action in verse 11 and 12. And now, indeed, 00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:52.279 the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:55.519 be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:58.420 immediately a dark mist fell upon him, and he 00:18:58.420 --> 00:19:01.000 went around seeking someone to lead him by the 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.720 hand. And then the proconsul believed when he 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:08.339 had saw what had been done, being astonished 00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:11.339 at the teaching of the Lord. Sometimes we see 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:14.079 in the book of Acts, The inevitable punishment 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:17.359 came swiftly, as it did for Ananias and Sapphira. 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:20.440 Paul's prediction was immediately fulfilled. 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:23.940 The irony here is that one, Bar -Jesus, who claimed 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:26.519 to have vision into the future and powers, is 00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:28.519 now begging someone to lead him by the hand because 00:19:28.519 --> 00:19:30.920 he can't even see in front of him to take a step 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:33.680 here on this earth. Just begging for someone, 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:38.309 he would be blinded for a limited time. the same 00:19:38.309 --> 00:19:42.009 exact moment, we see this Roman senatorial administrator, 00:19:42.450 --> 00:19:45.309 Sergius Paulus, having heard the Word of God 00:19:45.309 --> 00:19:47.849 presented and seeing the work of God in front 00:19:47.849 --> 00:19:51.470 of his face, we are told he was astonished at 00:19:51.470 --> 00:19:53.390 the teaching of the Lord, that it was the Word 00:19:53.390 --> 00:19:55.650 of God, not the act of blindness that moved him 00:19:55.650 --> 00:19:59.069 to belief. God gave him ears to hear and gave 00:19:59.069 --> 00:20:03.430 him eyes to see. The miracles were made possible 00:20:03.430 --> 00:20:06.369 by the Spirit often providing an opening for 00:20:06.369 --> 00:20:08.789 faith. As we look through the book of Acts, church 00:20:08.789 --> 00:20:11.690 Christianity has nothing to do with the magic 00:20:11.690 --> 00:20:14.769 and superstition of this world, but its power 00:20:14.769 --> 00:20:16.750 and the power of the Word and the power of the 00:20:16.750 --> 00:20:20.450 Spirit overcomes them all. And this theme will 00:20:20.450 --> 00:20:23.869 return in Acts. Luke leaves us with a major result 00:20:23.869 --> 00:20:27.250 of this first mission stop on the island of Cyprus, 00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:30.569 the conversion of a prominent Roman official. 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:35.480 So now what? We're left with the question, what 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:40.140 is the church's role in missions? Well, the roles 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:43.279 are as a corporate body. They are as individuals 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:47.740 and they are as families within the body. In 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:52.039 fact, Acts 1 .8, the original sending here, but 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:55.099 you shall have power when the Holy Spirit has 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.779 come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me 00:20:57.779 --> 00:21:00.960 in Jerusalem. and in Judea and Samaria and to 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:04.019 the end of the earth. If we look at the biblical 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:07.480 model from the book of Acts, missions starts 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:11.680 at home. It starts with us. It starts with our 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.359 own church. It starts in our own city. It starts 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:18.160 in our own county, region, state, and then to 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:20.400 the uttermost parts of the earth, the global 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:24.410 missions program. Church, we have many. in our 00:21:24.410 --> 00:21:26.529 church who are part of global missions organizations. 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:30.349 We have some who are part of local mission organizations. 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:32.490 And we have people here that have efforts outside 00:21:32.490 --> 00:21:35.230 going out of this church. And I'm thankful for 00:21:35.230 --> 00:21:38.769 that. But we see here through the Scriptures 00:21:38.769 --> 00:21:42.049 that God works through His people to accomplish 00:21:42.049 --> 00:21:45.769 His purposes. We have to ask ourselves every 00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:48.410 now and then when we look in the mirror, where 00:21:48.410 --> 00:21:52.549 is my heart in this? And it's a humbling question 00:21:52.549 --> 00:21:55.630 and thought sometimes. Am I really moving forward 00:21:55.630 --> 00:21:59.269 in kingdom work? Or has it maybe slipped into 00:21:59.269 --> 00:22:02.170 performance? Has it just become church attendance? 00:22:02.450 --> 00:22:05.130 Has it just become checking boxes? Is it just 00:22:05.130 --> 00:22:07.349 about writing a little memo line for Faith Promise 00:22:07.349 --> 00:22:11.069 on my check and sort of checking that box each 00:22:11.069 --> 00:22:13.569 month? Friends, we have to look at ourselves 00:22:13.569 --> 00:22:16.089 and we have to ask the hard question, have I 00:22:16.089 --> 00:22:20.440 fled to the cross as my only hope in life? And 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:23.440 death, because if we run to Christ, He alone 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:27.339 is our gateway to heaven and to everlasting life. 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:30.299 It is the Holy Spirit of God that motivates us 00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:33.980 to do missional type work. We have no doubt seen 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:37.319 in this text the Lord's hand, but we also see 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:40.519 that there must be human involvement. It is our 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:43.200 God who takes great pleasure in working through 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:46.450 ordinary people. gifting them and enabling them 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:51.470 to be the vehicles and the conduit in which he 00:22:51.470 --> 00:22:54.369 desires them to be extensions of the kingdom 00:22:54.369 --> 00:22:57.789 of God. And you say, I don't know. I don't know 00:22:57.789 --> 00:23:02.009 if that can be me. Friend, take heart. God uses 00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:05.109 us in our frailness. He uses us in our brokenness. 00:23:05.109 --> 00:23:08.009 He uses us in our weakness. And He uses us as 00:23:08.009 --> 00:23:10.609 the broken vessels that we are to accomplish 00:23:10.609 --> 00:23:14.210 His purposes. There are so many days where I 00:23:14.210 --> 00:23:17.470 feel Eden in my bones and I say, God, I just 00:23:17.470 --> 00:23:20.289 don't know. It's not on you, friend. It is through 00:23:20.289 --> 00:23:23.430 the work of the Holy Spirit of God who will indwell 00:23:23.430 --> 00:23:26.430 you and empower you and enable you to do works. 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:29.660 greater than you ever thought possible in His 00:23:29.660 --> 00:23:32.839 name and for His ultimate glory. We see here 00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:36.240 that the church at Antioch played an active role. 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:38.259 If you consider just for a moment the leaders 00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:40.039 there at that church, they were listed in verse 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:43.119 1 of the text. You find a group of people here 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:47.140 who obeyed the Word of God. They heard the voice 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:49.980 of the Holy Spirit. They had no technology. They 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:52.500 had no cell phones. They had no internet. What 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:55.200 caused them to go to Cyprus and the surrounding 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:57.920 inland cities in addition to call the Holy Spirit 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:00.220 their own engagement, their own prayer, their 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:03.259 own fasting? The church at Antioch was keenly 00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:05.940 involved in behind Saul and Barnabas from the 00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:08.619 word go. The believers laid hands on them. They 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:11.519 commissioned them. They recognized and they authenticated 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:15.599 this call. of missionary work for Saul and Barnabas. 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:18.299 They were not engaging in just freelance, independent 00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:21.480 work, going wherever their inclinations led them. 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:25.119 These men were delegates of God. And the church 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:27.799 of Antioch recognized that and laid their hands 00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:30.099 on them. They approved of their work. And it 00:24:30.099 --> 00:24:31.900 was through that local church that they were 00:24:31.900 --> 00:24:34.619 commissioned. And it was to the church of Antioch 00:24:34.619 --> 00:24:36.380 that they would then come back and give a report 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:39.460 later in Acts 14. And they would report all that 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:42.539 God had done. And they would say and would testify 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:46.559 how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:49.319 And it was that local church that modeled for 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:53.230 us what it was to co -labor. with missionaries. 00:24:53.230 --> 00:24:55.190 Once they sent them onto the field, it was not 00:24:55.190 --> 00:24:57.329 just laying hands on them and praying for them 00:24:57.329 --> 00:24:59.509 and hoping for the best, but it was a true co 00:24:59.509 --> 00:25:02.470 -laboring while Saul and Barnabas out doing the 00:25:02.470 --> 00:25:05.630 work. This was a church who was sending those 00:25:05.630 --> 00:25:08.069 who were sent. And you find a church who was 00:25:08.069 --> 00:25:09.750 not only praying for them, they were collecting 00:25:09.750 --> 00:25:12.369 offering for them, sending support to them, giving 00:25:12.369 --> 00:25:14.890 them supplies, writing letters to them, touching 00:25:14.890 --> 00:25:17.130 base with them, sending helpers out to check 00:25:17.130 --> 00:25:19.089 on them and take things and hear back from them. 00:25:19.170 --> 00:25:21.970 It was an active co -laboring between the sending 00:25:21.970 --> 00:25:24.730 church and that missionary together. But the 00:25:24.730 --> 00:25:27.109 church played an active role. We see that Saul 00:25:27.109 --> 00:25:29.549 and Barnabas and the church at Antioch were always 00:25:29.549 --> 00:25:32.329 led and empowered by the Spirit. This was not 00:25:32.329 --> 00:25:34.210 just something they thought would be a good idea. 00:25:34.470 --> 00:25:37.920 But as they were led... They went by the Holy 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:40.920 Spirit many times on Paul's missionary journeys. 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:43.160 He would have a desire to go here, and the Spirit 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:46.539 of God would say, no, go over here. Friends, 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:48.819 in our church, we should be praying diligently 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:52.200 about who we are supporting as missionaries, 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:54.579 what levels of support that we are supporting 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:57.299 them at, praying for them not just in our corporate 00:25:57.299 --> 00:26:00.900 gatherings, but in our homes, praying about missionaries 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:02.900 and for them with our children, giving them that 00:26:02.900 --> 00:26:06.960 exposure at an early age. not be just a little 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:09.240 dot that we put on the memo line of our check 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:11.519 or just a little bit of cash that we put in the 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:14.440 faith promise collection once a month we should 00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:16.859 speak of missionaries in our homes our churches 00:26:16.859 --> 00:26:18.359 our sunday school classes our wednesday night 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:21.910 meetings often It should be on our minds. Each 00:26:21.910 --> 00:26:24.329 home has the ability to pick a missionary family 00:26:24.329 --> 00:26:26.369 or multiple missionaries that they can get really 00:26:26.369 --> 00:26:28.630 excited about, that they can pray for, that they 00:26:28.630 --> 00:26:30.369 can talk about, that they can email, that they 00:26:30.369 --> 00:26:32.349 might even support individually, that they might 00:26:32.349 --> 00:26:35.869 labor over to be truly involved in missions, 00:26:35.869 --> 00:26:37.890 work, and outreach, that co -laboring that we've 00:26:37.890 --> 00:26:40.930 seen in the text today. Church, at this point, 00:26:40.950 --> 00:26:44.490 we are the senders of global missions, but we 00:26:44.490 --> 00:26:47.089 are responsible for so much more than just sending 00:26:47.089 --> 00:26:51.960 financial support. A church is to be involved. 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:54.599 Missions is to be a collaborative effort. The 00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:56.880 number one fear that I hear from missionaries 00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:58.819 and struggle that they have when they're on a 00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:02.099 forum field is being forgotten. And that doesn't 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:03.619 mean they don't get a check every month, but 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:05.380 that's all they get. That's all they hear from 00:27:05.380 --> 00:27:08.000 most churches is just financial support. They 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:09.740 don't feel the prayers. They don't feel the love. 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:11.920 They don't get the emails. And it's almost like 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:13.440 they're on an island and they're isolated and 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:15.579 short of financial support. They're almost on 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:17.980 it on their own when they don't feel that co 00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:20.799 -laboring as it's intended to be here from the 00:27:20.799 --> 00:27:24.819 Scriptures. We find here lastly as we start to 00:27:24.819 --> 00:27:27.619 land the plane a little bit this morning, missions 00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:31.400 and evangelism must be the heartbeat of the church. 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:34.400 Missionary endeavors are the responsibility of 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:36.740 the entire church. It's not meant for just a 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:39.819 select few who might be missions -minded or have 00:27:39.819 --> 00:27:42.180 some kind of heart for missions. Derek Thomas 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:44.900 would say, not to have a heart for missions is 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:47.619 the same as not having a heart for Jesus Christ. 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:50.319 Now those are strong words, but Paul in Romans 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:52.859 10 would put it this way, How then shall they 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:56.460 call on Him in whom they have not believed? And 00:27:56.460 --> 00:27:59.019 how shall they believe on Him in whom they have 00:27:59.019 --> 00:28:01.809 not heard? And how shall they hear? without a 00:28:01.809 --> 00:28:03.990 preacher, and how shall they preach unless they 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:07.950 have been sent? Missions are at the very heart 00:28:07.950 --> 00:28:11.390 of God. It declares what brought the Savior into 00:28:11.390 --> 00:28:14.109 the world and what drove Him to the cross. It 00:28:14.109 --> 00:28:17.089 is the beating pulse of the Almighty for the 00:28:17.089 --> 00:28:20.150 souls of men and women. For an individual to 00:28:20.150 --> 00:28:22.890 be called towards missions reveals an indifference 00:28:22.890 --> 00:28:27.220 of what lies at the center of God Himself. Church, 00:28:27.259 --> 00:28:29.859 I would challenge us all to look introspectively 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:32.259 and ask some very serious questions about our 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.839 involvement in the work of missions through prayer, 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:37.559 financial support, writing emails of encouragement, 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:40.779 volunteering, going on short -term missions trips 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:44.039 like Jeremiah 38, or perhaps even some of you 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:46.160 here this morning considering long -term missions 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:49.690 involvement. Take this encouragement. Our world 00:28:49.690 --> 00:28:53.450 is as needy as ever. Our Lord said 2 ,000 years 00:28:53.450 --> 00:28:56.230 ago the fields were white and ready for harvest, 00:28:56.289 --> 00:28:59.589 but the laborers were few. There are unreached 00:28:59.589 --> 00:29:01.950 people groups all over the world, and certainly 00:29:01.950 --> 00:29:04.970 while some are set apart to be global missionaries, 00:29:05.049 --> 00:29:06.930 each and every one of us will leave these church 00:29:06.930 --> 00:29:09.200 doors today. And each and every one of us has 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:11.400 an opportunity to make a lasting impact in the 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:14.880 spaces that we go on a daily basis. In our homes, 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:17.279 in our families, in our workspaces, there are 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:21.400 lost souls that need to see, hear, and feel the 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:23.460 love of Christ. Each and every one of us has 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:27.279 an opportunity each day. Friends, we have family 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:29.839 members, loved ones, workplace associates that 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:32.240 need to see the gospel lived out through my life 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:35.990 and your life each and every day. There are people 00:29:35.990 --> 00:29:38.369 right here within earshot and stone's throw of 00:29:38.369 --> 00:29:41.349 this church that need Christ. Friends, let us 00:29:41.349 --> 00:29:45.349 pray together, labor together, that it starts 00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:48.730 in Jerusalem and it starts right here with us 00:29:48.730 --> 00:29:53.210 in Kitzhill, Ohio. May God burden us for all 00:29:53.210 --> 00:29:55.730 of us to be involved at whatever level that is, 00:29:55.930 --> 00:29:58.390 first in Kitzhill and then to the uttermost parts 00:29:58.390 --> 00:30:02.619 of the world. You say, how? We can never accomplish 00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:05.079 anything, friends, on our own. It must be through 00:30:05.079 --> 00:30:10.200 God's strength and for His glory alone. To God 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:14.859 be the glory for His wonderful Word. Amen. Pastor, 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:16.519 would you come and lead us in the table this 00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:16.740 morning?