THE CHURCH SENDS MISSIONARIES

Text: "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away" (Acts 13:1-3).

INTRODUCTION

1. The gospel had gone into Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. Now it was time to take it to the uttermost parts of the earth. For this wonderful adventure, God chose a church other than the church in Jerusalem for the work. This is clearly showing us that churches are equal units of the kingdom of God. Although the commission was given to the church at Jerusalem, it applies to every church (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 8:14; 11:19-26; 13:1-4).

2. To its credit, the great church at Antioch readily took on the wonderful work that we call missions. We can only imagine what a great adventure this was for this church; yet, they gladly accepted the task and began a great season of expansion for the Lord's churches.

3. There is also an implied warning in these verses. For whatever reason, until the scattering abroad in Acts 8:4, the Baptist church in Jerusalem had failed to reach out to the uttermost parts of the earth. Now God had chosen the Baptist church at Antioch to do this work. We must never take the leadership of the Holy Spirit for granted. It is a wonderful and precious thing to be led of the Lord and we should strive to recognize that leadership and to follow it without question.

4. The Baptist church in Antioch was made up of many people from all walks of life. We see this diversity in the names mentioned. This church had already reached out in its community across the dividing lines of class and race. Now it was ready to reach out to the rest of the world with the gospel.

I. GOD CALLS MEN Acts13:1,2

1. This work of God began in the hearts of individuals. God had a great work planned for Saul and Barnabas, but the work started in their hearts. Note some important things about how this process worked. First, God called those who were already working for Him. The names mentioned in verse 1 are the names of those who were the prophets and teachers in the Baptist church at Antioch. In New Testament times being a prophet referred to interpreting prophecy, not to issuing new prophecies. What these men were doing was interpreting the Old Testament and teaching the people in this church about their new standing in Jesus Christ. Second, There are many who dream of one day doing a great work for the Lord, but they will not go next door and invite their neighbor to the church. If we want God to use us in His service, we must begin by serving Him the best that we can right where we are now.

2. Then we see that this process was not the idea of men. God, through the Holy Spirit, directed this church to separate two of these men, Saul and Barnabas. This was not the idea of Saul and Barnabas, and it was not the directive of some kind of planning and goals committee. The plan for this mission work began in Heaven. That is why it was successful. Over the years there have been many man-made plans for doing mission work, but all of them pale when they are compared to the plans that the Holy Spirit has made for all of us.

3. There was no disappointment mentioned on the part of any of these good men who were not chosen for this work. It was as much God's will that Simeon, Lucius and Manaen stay at Antioch as it was that Barnabas and Saul be sent out. God had as rewarding a ministry for those who stayed behind as He did for those who went abroad. None of us need to be disappointed. God is fair to all. He is not a respecter of persons. God was simply using the resources of this church as He saw fit.

4. Saul was a talented speaker and had a great zeal for the Jews. Barnabas was a Cypriot and no doubt would be well received on that island. God was choosing wisely. Beyond this we see that God already had a plan for Saul. God had already called Saul to the ministry of preaching to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17). This process was another step in the accomplishing the master plan of God.

5. When Baptist churches and individuals will listen together and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the work of God will always go forward and the will of God will always be accomplished. If we ignore God's leadership, or worse, seek to substitute our will for His will, we will only fail.

II. THE CHURCH SENDS MEN Acts 13:3

1. There is an element of time involved in this verse. You can pray quickly. In fact, we are to be instant in prayer and always ready to offer a prayer to the Lord. But it takes a certain amount of time to fast. This indicates that the church members took time to consider the monumental work that they were beginning here. This was not done without proper thought and consideration.

2. Churches should realize that mission work is near the heart of God. We must engage in it, and we must also take it seriously. Before a missionary is sent out or before we decide to get involved in his work, we should earnestly seek the Lord's will and we should use every tool at our disposal to make sure that we are doing God's will.

3. Barnabas and Saul knew for certain that God had called them. But it took time for others in the church to recognize this, and they were willing to wait for this to happen. A church acts best when its members act together, but unity can take time. As we look ahead, we will see that there was no hint given from the Baptist church at Antioch that it had any regrets about doing this work. Its members were completely committed to it and the time spent in the beginning was the reason. When we act in haste, we will have plenty of time later to regret our decisions.

4. Having determined the will of God in this matter, the church then acted decisively. Evidently there was some kind of formal meeting of the church for the purpose of sending these men out. Barnabas and Saul were not self-sent men. They were God-called men and they were church-sent men. The Holy Spirit was working in the hearts of the two who were called and He was working in every heart in the church at Antioch. God never leads contrary to Himself.

5. It is vital to note here that this was a local church. There was no appeal made to the apostles, the church in Jerusalem or to anyone else on earth. This church made its own decision in this matter. There was no other church or body involved. Then and now, this is as it should be. The local, visible, New Testament church is the unit of the kingdom of God. Each church can do whatever God leads that church to do. There is nothing wrong with churches cooperating together in the work of the Lord. The Holy Bible encourages them to do so, but the work that God gave to each church can never be taken over by any other organization. Each church, as a sovereign body under the leadership of the Holy Spirit should assume the responsibility for carrying out the commission of the Lord.

6. An occurrence of laying on of hands was recorded in Acts 6:6, and now we see this ceremony repeated again. This was a public display of approval. It was also a testimony of support and moral recognition of the call that God had given Barnabas and Saul. There is a great strength in publicly declaring our intentions and support. There is something wrong when we will not. Being called of God is a great honor, and we should treat it that way, and being asked by God to start a great work like this was an honor to this church. Antioch's members wanted to say publicly that they were assuming the responsibility that God had given them and the ceremony of laying on hands was one way to do this.

7. Then we note that they sent them away. These four words imply a great commitment that we will only discover as we read the other verses that pertain to the relationship of this church and its missionaries. However, we knew that this church did not send these men away and forget all about them. For instance, we know that Barnabas and Saul did not go alone. We know of at least two other men who went with them. Luke was there and so was John Mark. Perhaps others went along as well. These others did not preach, but they did assist and that assistance was no doubt a part of the involvement of the Antioch Baptist church in supporting the missionaries.

8. Missionaries need many things and there are many ways that they can be supported. Sometimes we can send them money regularly (1 Corinthians 9:1-14; 11 Corinthians 11:8), but other times it will be equally valuable to travel to see them, to pray for them or to help them in some other way. This is rightly left up to the individual church and the missionary who is sent out.

III. MISSIONARIES' RESPONSIBILITIES Acts 14:20-28

As a church has a responsibility to the men that are sent out, so the men sent out have a responsibility to the church that sends them. Beyond that those who do the work of missions also have a responsibility to the churches that they establish. And beyond all this every child of God has a responsibility to his heavenly Father.

1. Preaching. We notice that Paul and Barnabas preached the Word of God wherever they went. Preaching is vital to building up and establishing the lives of men. Preaching is not the conclusion of men; it is the plan of God. Preaching may seem foolish to us, but is God's chosen method of communicating the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21; Romans 10:10-17). Preaching is where it all begins. This is where people are saved and where the material that builds churches originates. This is how the truth is communicated and the power of the Holy Spirit is brought to bear. Rom.1:16.

2. Presence. There is also a ministry of presence. Barnabas and Saul went personally to visit the disciples at Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (This is a different Antioch from the town in Syria). While they were there, they continued to teach many people. The recently saved were hungry for the truth, and Paul and Barnabas were willing to share it with them. There is a power in fellowship and in being together in one accord in one place. These missionaries brought this power to bear to stabilize the converts that they had recently made.

3. Confirming and Exhorting. Confirmation is simply going back over the same ground again. Satan is a master at making us doubt. He will cause us to doubt the things we believe and to believe the things that we should doubt. One way to avoid this is to have our faith confirmed or reinforced by the testimony and experience of others. We all need assurance and this is the result of this experience. Exhortation involves direction as well as comfort. When we exhort someone, we seek to set his feet on the right path and encourage him to walk in it. Paul and Barnabas were exhorting these young Christians to continue in the faith and to make their commitment to Christ a permanent part of their lives.

4. Telling the Truth. There is no place in the service of God for any misrepresentation. Paul and Barnabas were honest and open about the troubles that were waiting for those who would live for Jesus. They were not preaching a life of ease and prosperity. They were preaching that tribulation was a part of the kingdom of God. We need to face this reality if we are going to remain faithful to the Lord.

5. Ordaining Pastors, Bishops or Elders. The word ordain means "to choose, or to show hands of approval." Paul and Barnabas led in establishing a system that would insure the perpetuation of the work after they had gone back to Antioch in Syria. They did this by publicly leading these young churches to choose leaders. Note that every church was involved in this. Every church needs a pastor. And every Baptist church needs the pastor that God would lead it to have. This is not the conclusion of some council; it is the plan of God clearly taught in the New Testament, and it is the plan that Paul and Barnabas followed for the churches that they established by the authority of Antioch Baptist Church that sent them away.

6. Prayer and Fasting. The Baptist church in Antioch had prayed and fasted before these men were sent out and now they were imparting this same grace to the churches they had established. This suggests that they spent some time with these churches. We cannot place a time limit on mission work. How long does it take to pray or to fast? That is an individual matter, but both these are ways that Paul and Barnabas used in determining the will of God. This is what happened before they were sent out, then they led these churches to be sure that they knew how to tell when God was leading them.

7. Trusting God. When we leave a work, we are never leaving the work alone if the work is the work of God. God is involved in His work. We are laborers together with Him, and we never work alone. Paul and Barnabas would go back to Antioch, but the Lord would always be there with those newly made disciples. Paul and Barnabas would not come back again as they had on this trip, but the Lord would always be with those churches. Often we are sad when changes come into our spiritual lives, but we need always to be aware of the abiding presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of those who believe in Him and in the midst of His churches (Matthew 28:19,20).

8. Reporting to the Sending Church. The responsibility of a missionary does not end on the mission field. The Baptist church in Antioch had sent these men out, and they made a special effort to return there and give a full report of what had happened to them and their mission work of planting churches. One of the basic and vital parts of the relationship between any missionary and his sending church is contact and reporting. This was not the last missionary journey for these men, and it was important that this church know what was going on.

   1. Notice that Paul and Barnabas did not stop preaching just because they were going to their sending church. They were preaching as they went to Antioch. They were fulfilling the command of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to preach as they went even when they were going back to their sending church in Antioch, Syria. When they got home, the Antioch Baptist church had another public meeting and Paul and Barnabas told all that God had done through them on their journey. This is an admonition for a full and complete report. Some bad things had happened, but they included those as well. A missionary never needs to be ashamed of the things that happen to him. Even if he were stoned and left for dead, it should be reported to the honor and glory of God.

   2. Note that this was a positive report. Paul and Barnabas did not dwell on the negatives. Their overall assessment was that God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. These men might have interpreted their trip in many ways, but their conclusion was that God had worked through them and great things had been accomplished. Surely, one of the qualifications for any mission work is a positive attitude. There are enough troubles to go around, but we should always remember that God is greater than any trial that we may face.

   3. The meeting came to an end, but the missionaries did not go away. They stayed several months with the members of the Antioch Baptist church, no doubt sharing what had happened with individuals and answering the many questions that were in the hearts and minds of those in Antioch church. Once again we see the ministry of presence. Sometimes we just need to be there, to show up and testify of the things that God has done through us.

   4. Contact is a two-way street. A Baptist church needs to maintain contact with the missionaries that it sends out. And the missionaries need to report to the church that sends them. A church has not done this when the members talk to each other about the missionaries, and the missionaries have not done this when they talk to each other about that church. This communication should take place between the sending Baptist church and the men it sends out.

   5. This was the first missionary journey of its kind in history. In many ways it was unique. A door was opened that had been closed, and it would not be necessary to open the same door again. But for many years after this, churches would be sending missionaries out and the churches and the missionaries needed a pattern to follow. That is why God inspired Luke to write this account found in the book of Acts for us. We have this divine example and to the best of our ability we should follow it. In this way both the Baptist churches who send men out and the men who are sent can be sure that they are doing God's work in God's way.

CONCLUSION

1. We educate a mission church since the beginning of its existence to give their tithes, offerings and contributions. But we did not receive support from the churches we established because we were receiving support from the churches in the United States of America so that the churches we organized could have funds of their own to be used for the support of their newly called pastors and other church expenses. And we, as church planters, we have to move on and start a new mission work again from place to place and organize them into churches. And more than five years already that had been passed, our support from the churches in the United States had been stopped and our mission works have been hampered due to lack of funds.

2. Paul and Barnabas had traveled from town to town and from city to city, according to God's plan, and many converts had been won and were baptized and churches established. They did not remain permanently anywhere, nor was there any thought of settling down as pastors. Later on they made a second missionary journey, and later again a third. Thus they encouraged the churches whom they had established.

3. We are praying for at least 100 sister churches in the states who will help the T. C. Badilles Church Planting Mission Team of the Philippine Mission of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Incorporated in our church planting ministry until the Lord comes. All we need are the funds with which to do the work. We hope and pray that the true Baptist churches in the states will invest in the printed page, radio and television. And that they will give anything to help us in order to get the message of the gospel out. May the Lord help the true Baptist churches to do what they can. "Give us the tools and we will finish the job."

4. And to the Baptist churches that we will organize in the future, we will encourage them to form a loose association of churches or none at all so that they will help each other in supporting their own missionaries and in the establishment of a Missionary Baptist School of Theology. While we also do continue to plant churches and do continue to train God-called preachers in our Missionary Baptist School of Theology under the sponsorship and auspices of just one true Baptist church and with the help of about 100 sister Baptist churches in the states, we will be able to accomplish much for the honor and glory of our Almighty God who died for us in order that we will tell others of what He had done. And then we will serve Him faithfully in one of His churches until the Lord comes.

5. Brethren, any question, any correction, and any advice about my shortcomings in doctrine, method in doing mission work, and in moral matters from you is very much appreciated. We must love one another and teach one another and advice one another and help one another and forgive one another.

 

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