1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:06,160 So we are in Acts 13. So as most of you will know, as 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,400 we've mentioned already this morning, we've been praying a 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,560 lot over the last few weeks for the Wallace family in Nigeria, 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,840 for Matt and Lisa, for Joshua, Paris, and Lydia. 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,120 Some of us will be praying for them after the service like we 6 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,040 did last week in the Cherry classroom just down that 7 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:22,160 corridor. So if you're able to join us, 8 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,920 just get a cup of tea or coffee and just bring it with you down 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,280 there and we'll pray for a few minutes. 10 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,240 We'll also be praying for them tonight during the March family 11 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,520 meeting. As Chris said, for those of you 12 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,360 who don't know Matt and Lisa personally, you might be asking 13 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:38,000 the question, what? Why are they in Nigeria? 14 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:43,400 Why did we send a family we love to another part of the world 15 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,440 when there's still many people here in Leicester who are yet to 16 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,200 hear and respond to the good news about Jesus? 17 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,600 And as Chris has prayed, we've got other mission partners we've 18 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:54,840 sent out as a church family here. 19 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,080 Now working overseas, we've got the Harrison family, Simon, Ali, 20 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,760 Samuel, Mia and Maddie working in Ethiopia. 21 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:05,480 Why are they in Ethiopia? Why did we send them to another 22 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,880 part of the world closer to home? 23 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,960 We used to have an assistant pastor here at Ave. 24 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:15,800 Dan James Little over two years ago we sent Dan, Jamie, EFA and 25 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,360 a team of people from Ave. to the Eres Monso Estate. 26 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,360 Why did we do that? Why start another church in 27 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,960 another part of Leicester when there's so many people here in 28 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:28,520 Clarendon Park who are yet to hear and respond to the good 29 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,600 news of Jesus? Oh, I think the section in the 30 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,080 book of Acts we're looking at this morning helps us begin to 31 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:40,040 answer that question. Acts 13, It's it's a big moment 32 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,280 in the book of Acts. Back in chapter 1, we have the 33 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,000 opening lines of the book, The risen Jesus speaking to his 34 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,040 disciples just before he ascends into heaven after completing his 35 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,360 saving work for everyone who trusts him. 36 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,600 And Jesus says, he says, you will receive power when the Holy 37 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,520 Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in 38 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,440 Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the 39 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,040 earth. And some people refer to these 40 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,240 words of Jesus as if you like the contents page of the book of 41 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,600 Acts, because the three movements that Jesus describes 42 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,080 here are the three movements in the book of Acts. 43 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,760 So Acts chapter one to seven, that's the disciples living as 44 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:22,560 Jesus witnesses in Jerusalem. Acts chapter 8 to 12, the gospel 45 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,120 reaches beyond Jerusalem into all Judea and Samaria. 46 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,000 And from Acts 13, our passage this morning, the good news of 47 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,880 Jesus finally reaches into the Gentile world. 48 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:37,200 The rest of the Roman Empire, or as Jesus puts it, the good news 49 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,400 reaches to the ends of the earth and it will extend there in the 50 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,960 rest of the book. And we thought last week about 51 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,800 one of the purposes of the book of Acts is it shows us the 52 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,960 priorities of a spirit filled church. 53 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,480 What were some of the things the early church committed 54 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,680 themselves to and what can we learn from that? 55 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:58,960 So last week in Acts 12 we learnt that a spirit filled 56 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,800 church is a church that prays together. 57 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,200 This week, as we turn to Acts 13, there's still a lot of 58 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,720 emphasis on praying together. But look has a particular focus 59 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,360 here. He wants to show us that a 60 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,280 spirit filled church is a church that is committed to mission 61 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:19,440 both locally and globally. The reason Avenues become a 62 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,680 church family that has sent people out on mission in recent 63 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,520 years both globally, Nigeria, Ethiopia and locally Eresmonsal 64 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,760 is because of passages like Acts 13. 65 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:33,440 We believe one of the priorities of a healthy disciple making 66 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,040 spirit filled local church is that we send people on mission. 67 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,640 We are committed to mission, so we want to listen to this 68 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,320 passage and learn from it together. 69 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,840 And again, Acts 13, it's, it's a big deal this passage because 70 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,640 for the first time mission isn't being done simply by a few 71 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,160 individuals. It's been planned and prayed for 72 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,480 and organised by a particular local church. 73 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,320 The church in Antioch, just up there at the top there. 74 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,000 And the gospel isn't spreading because of persecution, because 75 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,080 the Christians are being driven out of somewhere. 76 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,040 No, it's a deliberate church decision led by the Spirit made 77 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,440 by the leaders in the whole congregation in Antioch to send 78 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,959 Barnabas and Saul out from Antioch on mission. 79 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,200 And we want to learn from the church in Antioch how to grow as 80 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,600 a local church committed to mission. 81 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,160 And we want to learn from Barnabas and Saul as they arrive 82 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,480 on the island of Cyprus, what authentic gospel ministry looks 83 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:35,120 like, what we can expect as we live as witnesses for Jesus. 84 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,400 So turning to Acts 13, in this first bit, it's kind of a game 85 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,760 of two halves. This bit verses one to three, 86 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,720 the church in Antioch sends out Barnabas and Saul on mission. 87 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,800 And then verses 4 to 12, Barnabas and Saul on mission in 88 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,120 Cyprus. Now we were introduced to the 89 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:52,720 church in Antioch a few weeks ago. 90 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,760 If you were here in Acts Chapter 11, Antioch's one of the first 91 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,040 places where the gospel was shared not just with Jewish 92 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,320 people, but with non Jewish people, with Gentiles as well. 93 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,440 It's a church made-up of mostly Gentile believers. 94 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,840 And it's the first place where disciples of Jesus were called 95 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:13,120 Christians. That's Acts 11, verse 26. 96 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,720 And from this point onwards in the book of Acts, Antioch 97 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,960 becomes central in taking the good news of Jesus to the ends 98 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,360 of the earth. And what do we learn about this 99 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:28,880 church in Antioch from Acts 13? The first thing we learn is that 100 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:33,280 this is a diverse church. Just look to the list of 101 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:36,200 prophets and teachers we get in verse one. 102 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,000 Presumably these prophets and teachers, they made-up the 103 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,960 leadership of the church in Antioch. 104 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:43,760 Now in the church in Antioch there were prophets and 105 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:48,280 teachers, Barnabas Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Menaean 106 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:51,200 who'd been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul. 107 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,680 And we need to see this is a remarkably diverse group of 108 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:59,200 people. It's a very odd group to have 109 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:04,440 together in the 1st century. So we have Barnabas and we 110 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,280 learnt earlier on Acts, he's a Levite from the island of 111 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:09,680 Cyprus. That's ACTS 436. 112 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,760 We've got Simeon called Niger, he's probably from Africa. 113 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,160 He's a man with darker skin. That's what Niger means in 114 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,680 Latin, it means black. There's even a possibility that 115 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:24,600 this Simeon, called Niger, could be the same man known as Simon 116 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,160 of Cyrene, the man who carried the cross for Jesus outside 117 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:32,960 Jerusalem, whose sons Alexander and Rufus were known to the 118 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,920 early Christians. That's just a possibility. 119 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:37,920 That is the Simeon recounted here. 120 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,520 We've got Lucius of Cyrene, he's definitely from North Africa. 121 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,280 We've got Meneen, I think is how you would say it, brought up 122 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:49,680 with Herod's family from Galilee in Judea. 123 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,880 This man grew up with a Herod who had John the Baptist killed, 124 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,200 who made Jesus stand trial. He's probably not a great 125 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:57,680 childhood friend. I would imagine you'd be a bit 126 00:06:57,680 --> 00:06:59,400 nervous if that's your childhood friend. 127 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,200 But here he is. He's, for whatever reason, he 128 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,960 has become a follower of Jesus and he is here in the church in 129 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:11,200 Antioch as one of its leaders. And then we have Saul from 130 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,640 Tarsus in modern day southern Turkey, once a Pharisee, a 131 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,320 persecutor of the church, now one of the main teachers in 132 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:20,200 Antioch. We need to see there's a group 133 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:24,400 of people that should never hang out together in the 1st century. 134 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,840 They're from Africa, from Cyprus, from Judea and Samaria, 135 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,720 from Asia Minor. Some of them are Jews, some of 136 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,000 them are Gentiles. There's a Levite, A Pharisee, 137 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:35,520 one of Herod's childhood friends. 138 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,760 That's the beginning of a joke. They walk into a pub or 139 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:39,560 something. But these men, they should not 140 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,000 be friends. And yet here they are, 141 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,160 worshipping the Lord together and praying together. 142 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,120 I think Luke wants to see this, this small group in the church 143 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,640 in Antioch. It is a glimpse, a taster of the 144 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:58,520 global church that the Bible lifts our eyes to again and 145 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,920 again. This is God's new humanity, 146 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,280 God's new community that the crucified and risen Lord Jesus 147 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,120 has brought together. Once strangers and enemies, 148 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,960 there are now one in Christ sharing the unity of the Spirit, 149 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,080 each one of them calling godfather because of what Jesus 150 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,800 has done for them. This is a little snapshot, a 151 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,960 trailer of that description in the Book of Revelation, 152 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,400 Revelation Chapter 7, where the apostle John says, I saw a great 153 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:32,520 multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, 154 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,480 people and language standing before the throne and before the 155 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:40,840 Lamb. It's a diverse church, but also 156 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:42,919 we learned it's a praying church. 157 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:45,680 That's verses two to three. What are they doing when the 158 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:48,960 Holy Spirit speaks to them here? Well, Luke tells us verse 2 they 159 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,520 were worshipping the Lord and fasting and then verse 3 after 160 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,040 they heard the spirits call on Barnabas and Saul, they fasted 161 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,960 and prayed. This is a God centred church. 162 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:02,400 These aren't just a group of people trying to wing it and 163 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,960 work it out as they go. They are humbling themselves 164 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,640 before God and asking him to lead them. 165 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,800 They are worshipping the Lord for all he has done for them in 166 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:12,520 Jesus. They're demonstrating their 167 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,000 hunger for God by fasting for seasons of time. 168 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,280 They are praying to the Lord asking him to lead them where 169 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,160 they should go. And it's not clear in these 170 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:25,360 verses who the they are. If this is just the leaders of 171 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:27,040 the church, you're named in verse one. 172 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,560 Or this might be the whole church gathered together. 173 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,280 Certainly when when Barnabas and Paul come back from their 174 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,320 missionary journey in Acts 14, it's clear the whole church in 175 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,960 Antioch was involved in sending them out on mission. 176 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:44,400 But it's a praying church, and now and then fundamentally, it's 177 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:49,640 ascending church. Verses 3 to 4 in like so often 178 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,960 in Acts, Luke doesn't tell us exactly how they hear the call 179 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:56,120 of the Holy Spirit on Barnabas and Saul in verse 2. 180 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:58,800 It could have been through one of the many prophets who are 181 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:00,920 named here. The Spirit speaks to the 182 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:03,200 prophet, and the prophet shares that with the congregation. 183 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,920 It could be a conviction that comes on many in the whole 184 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:07,520 church. Whatever the method, they 185 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:11,040 respond to that verse 3 by fasting and praying. 186 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,240 They test God's call on Barnabas and Saul. 187 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:18,120 They need time to reflect together on whether this truly 188 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:22,080 is the word of God to them. But also they want to pray for 189 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,400 Barnabas and Saul as they prepare to send them out into 190 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,720 the ends of the earth. But whatever the detail of 191 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,040 what's going on in these verses, Luke wants us to see here, 192 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:38,360 mission is God's idea. It is the living Godfather, Son, 193 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,880 and Holy Spirit who is sending out these people into the 194 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,840 Gentile world. God leads us on mission by His 195 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:46,680 Holy Spirit. We've seen that again and again 196 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:48,280 in Acts. But we always need to remember 197 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,080 it. Mission is not something we need 198 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:51,920 to strategically come up with on our own. 199 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,240 It's so we need to to humble ourselves before God and say, 200 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,800 Lord, you've put us in this place at this time, what would 201 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,520 you have us do? That is what the church in 202 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,680 Antioch does together. And we need to see that actually 203 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:10,280 being ascending church for Antioch was costly for them. 204 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:14,040 It brings great blessings, but it also brings costs. 205 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:16,360 We need to remember the Barnabas and Soul. 206 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,760 They're some of the key Bible teachers and leaders in Antioch 207 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,320 at this time. You look back at Acts 1125 to 208 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,160 26, their ministries proving really successful. 209 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:26,800 Loads of people are hearing about Jesus. 210 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,000 They're kind of two of Antioch's best people. 211 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,880 And yet the Holy Spirit says those are the ones I want you to 212 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,800 send away. Sending people out on mission is 213 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:41,960 always costly, but it's what the Lord Jesus calls His people to 214 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,360 do. And and looking at this, I just 215 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,960 can't help but think about our own experience of that here at 216 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,440 Ave. in recent years. We sent Matt and Lisa Wallace 217 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,440 out to Nigeria. Matt was an elder here with us. 218 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:56,960 Lisa was our woman's worker for many years. 219 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:01,520 We sent Simon and Ali Harrison out on mission to Ethiopia. 220 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,320 They were Home group leaders here, trusted and valued members 221 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,200 of our church family. We sent Dan James to lead the 222 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:11,720 Eres Monso Community Church with a small team from Ave. 223 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,960 Dan was our assistant pastor, he was an elder, he was a a key 224 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:16,840 preacher and leader and musician. 225 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,400 I once described to someone like he's our best musician and Lily 226 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,560 was sitting next to me and challenged me. 227 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,600 But no. But the rest of the Eres Monso 228 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:28,640 Church, they were people we knew and loved. 229 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:32,720 We know and love. Sending people out on mission is 230 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:35,280 costly. It was for the church in 231 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,200 Antioch. It has been for us here at Ave. 232 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,840 but a spirit filled church look tells us is a church committed 233 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,120 to mission both locally and globally. 234 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:50,920 And alongside the costs of that, there is rich blessing as we 235 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:55,240 follow the Lord's lead on mission both locally and 236 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,400 globally. I think I've probably shared 237 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,680 this before, but on a personal level, I've been helped greatly 238 00:13:00,680 --> 00:13:03,920 by Paul's words in Two Corinthians Chapter 9. 239 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,040 These are pinned up on my shared wall, have been for a few years 240 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,200 now. The primary context is giving 241 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:13,280 financially, but I've come to this passage frequently as I've 242 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,560 thought about what it means for us to be ascending church. 243 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,920 Each of you should give what you've decided in your heart to 244 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,440 give, says Paul, not reluctantly under compulsion. 245 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,240 The key phrase for God loves a cheerful giver. 246 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,720 I've wanted us to be cheerful as we've given people to mission 247 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,440 both locally and globally. And then that amazing promise 248 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:33,720 from Paul. God's able to bless you 249 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,080 abundantly. So in all things, at all times, 250 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,360 having all that you need, you will abide in every good work. 251 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,360 We have sent people away on mission, but we have not 252 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:44,880 diminished. We've actually grown with some 253 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,400 people joining us with new mission opportunities around us. 254 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:53,560 Alongside the cost of sending is the blessing of being in step 255 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,000 with the Spirit and following his lead. 256 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,280 So the church in Antioch, it's a diverse church, it's a praying 257 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,880 church, it's a sending church, it's a church every church in 258 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,560 history can learn from in those areas. 259 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,320 And for the rest of our passage this morning, Luke records for 260 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:16,960 us the first part of Barnabas and Saul's first missionary 261 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:18,800 journey. In many ways, actually, their 262 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:23,520 journey to Cyprus is like a snapshot of mission for the rest 263 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:25,520 of the book of Acts. A lot of what happens to 264 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:28,880 Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus is what will happen to Barnabas and 265 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:32,680 Saul wherever they go with the good news of Jesus. 266 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,640 So the question really is why did Barnabas and Saul begin in 267 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,080 Cyprus? Seem to be a number of reasons. 268 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:39,560 Sorry, I've got a lovely Christopher who's there. 269 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:41,920 That's not as clear. But Cyprus, if you see it there, 270 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:46,080 it's a a key stopping off point. If you're travelling from 271 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,160 Antioch, you can stop off in Cyprus on your way to Asia 272 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:52,360 Minor, what is now southern Turkey. 273 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,960 It was an important mining and trading centre, a really 274 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:57,920 thriving community on that island. 275 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,280 And another possible reason why they go there is that we just 276 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:06,000 heard Barnabas is from there. Barnabas grew up on Cyprus. 277 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,200 He knew it well. He would have loved the people 278 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,040 there. He wanted the opportunity to 279 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,960 proclaim the good news of Jesus to people he knew and loved. 280 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,400 And what do we learn from Barnabas and Saul's approach to 281 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,880 mission in their time on Cyprus? Then we can learn a few things. 282 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:26,240 First thing we learn actually is that their approach was to go 283 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,360 first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. 284 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:32,280 That's a phrase that Paul uses later in one of his letters, 285 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,600 Romans one, verse 16. Look at verse 5 again. 286 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,520 Luke tells us when they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the 287 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,800 word of God in the Jewish synagogues. 288 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,800 So it seems there were a number of synagogues, a number of 289 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,480 Jewish people in this coastal town of Salamis. 290 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:50,840 So Barnabas and Saul began their mission there. 291 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:53,480 And it's worth noting throughout the book of Acts, wherever 292 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,520 possible, the apostle Paul preaches the good news of Jesus 293 00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:00,080 to Jewish people 1st. And that shouldn't surprise us. 294 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:04,720 So Saul or Paul, he was Jewish himself, and Jesus is the Jewish 295 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:09,000 Messiah, the fulfillment of all God's promises to his people in 296 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,080 the Old Testament. I want you to remember here, the 297 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:17,520 early church never excluded or gave up on Jewish people, even 298 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,200 when Jewish people rejected the gospel message. 299 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,320 See, the church in the New Testament is made-up of Jewish 300 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,920 and Gentile believers who are now one in Christ. 301 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:29,480 Many of the letters we have in the New Testament, Gentile 302 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,760 believers seem to outnumber Jewish believers. 303 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,520 But the early Christians still sought to proclaim Jesus to 304 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,680 their Jewish neighbors. See, the church wasn't a 305 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,120 replacement for ancient Israel, not the sign that God had given 306 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,040 up on the Jewish people. No, the church with the new 307 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,960 Israel made-up of Jewish and Gentile believers united in 308 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,280 Christ. And the early Christians wanted 309 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,680 Jewish people in the church. So they proclaim the good news 310 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,760 of Jesus to them. And I think that's an important 311 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,680 thing to notice because we need to acknowledge in church history 312 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,079 right up to the present day, there has been a really dark 313 00:17:04,079 --> 00:17:07,480 history of anti-Semitism among Christians. 314 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:11,400 Historically, Christians have wrongly blamed the Jews for 315 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,160 killing Jesus. We've airbrushed Jesus 316 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:19,599 Jewishness so as we've given up sharing the good news to Jewish 317 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:23,640 people and add that to our situation today with the modern 318 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,800 state of Israel. We may have deep concerns with 319 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:28,800 the modern state of Israel and some of its policies. 320 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,840 We may not like the leaders of Israel, but we need to remember 321 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,040 Jewish people still need to hear about Jesus. 322 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:40,080 Will we pray for the witness of Jewish Christians to their 323 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:43,280 neighbors when we pray for the gospel to extend to Jewish 324 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,120 people across the world in our local communities here in 325 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:49,160 Clarendon Park and even in the State of Israel as well? 326 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,360 That was Paul and Barnabas approach here in Cyprus, as it 327 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:58,400 was elsewhere. Another striking thing to notice 328 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:03,600 is that Saul becomes Paul the apostle to the Gentiles in verse 329 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:05,080 9. So from this point onwards in 330 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,680 the book of Acts verse 9, Luke no longer refers to Saul of 331 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,840 Tarsus as Saul. From now on, he refers to him as 332 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,040 Paul. And as a Roman citizen, Saul of 333 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:16,600 Tarsus would have had at least two names. 334 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,760 So Saul was his Hebrew name, Paul was his Greek name. 335 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,480 It wasn't a brand new name that he got after he became a 336 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:24,080 Christian. He would have had it for some 337 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:26,080 time. But from this point onwards, 338 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,640 Paul chooses to refer to himself as Paul, not Saul. 339 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:31,880 And I'm now going to just start saying Paul because that's 340 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,200 easier. But what was the significance of 341 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,760 that? Well, again, I think put simply, 342 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,160 Paul wanted to remove every obstacle between himself and the 343 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:43,280 non Jewish people. He was called to share the 344 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,200 gospel with. This former Pharisee, this 345 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,760 Hebrew of Hebrews, this persecutor of the church was now 346 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:52,720 Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. 347 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:57,040 He changed his name to reflect Jesus calling on his life. 348 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:00,440 If you remember Jesus words to Saul on Damascus, he is my 349 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,920 chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their 350 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:07,600 kings and to the people of Israel. 351 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:10,960 And again, we can learn from Paul here. 352 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:16,120 Paul held fast to the central truths of the gospel, the life, 353 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:19,720 death, resurrection of Jesus, the call to repent and believe 354 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,920 the gospel, the call to discipleship and making 355 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,080 disciples. He always remained faithful to 356 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,200 the Lord Jesus and the Word of God. 357 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:30,120 But at the same time, Paul was culturally flexible and 358 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:34,160 adaptable so that as many people as possible could hear that good 359 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,520 news about Jesus. He thought if there was an 360 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,960 unnecessary obstacle in a way like his very Jewish name, he 361 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,600 then I'm going to go by my Greek name because that will travel 362 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:44,000 better. That is the name I'm going to go 363 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:46,520 by. That was Paul's passion. 364 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,560 He was inflexible when it came to the gospel, but he was 365 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,160 flexible. And just to buy everything else, 366 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,400 listen to Paul's own words. In One Corinthians 9 he says, 367 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,840 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a 368 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,360 slave to everyone to win as many as possible. 369 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:08,560 To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. 370 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,120 To those not having the law, I became like 1 not having the law 371 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:14,240 so as to win those not having the law. 372 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:16,520 To the weak I became weak to win the weak. 373 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,640 I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible 374 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:27,600 means I might save some. I think every Christian and 375 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,800 every local church, every generation can learn from Paul 376 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,360 in this Will we hold fast to the central truths of the gospel 377 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:39,000 while being culturally flexible in how we proclaim those central 378 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,440 truths? Will we be inflexible when it 379 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,080 comes to the Word of God, holding fast, but flexible when 380 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,680 it comes to how we engage with the people around us? 381 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,600 That's what Paul models for us here, I think. 382 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,920 And what else do we learn about mission from Barnabas and Saul's 383 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,040 time in Cyprus? I think the headlines are fairly 384 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,520 simple. There will always be people 385 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,840 opposed to the gospel. There will always be people 386 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,600 hungry for the gospel. Acts is wonderfully realistic 387 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,840 and is wonderfully hopeful for us. 388 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,680 Opposition comes regularly to Paul and Barnabas wherever they 389 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,480 go in Acts, from Jewish and from Gentile sources. 390 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:23,000 Because the message of the gospel is fairly simple. 391 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:27,240 We need rescuing. God has sent a rescuer and his 392 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:30,560 name is Jesus. But that has an offensive 393 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:32,440 message. If you refuse to accept you need 394 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,200 rescuing, how dare you say I need rescuing? 395 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:40,720 How dare you say I need Jesus? So where's the opposition come 396 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,200 from on Cyprus? Well, verse 6, it comes from a 397 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:47,120 Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar Jesus, later 398 00:21:47,120 --> 00:21:51,600 also named Elimas the sorcerer, now Jewish sorcerer. 399 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:53,720 Those two things don't usually belong together. 400 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,680 The Jewish scriptures condemn sorcery and magic. 401 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,920 And the name bar Jesus literally means son of Jesus or son of 402 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:01,800 Joshua. That could have been a family 403 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:02,520 name. It could have been just 404 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,960 literally his dad's name was Joshua or Jesus. 405 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:07,720 Or this could have been a claim to have the power to bring 406 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,120 salvation. Jesus and Joshua means the Lord 407 00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:13,400 saves. Maybe this sorcerer was saying, 408 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,080 look, I've got the power to save people and he's got an influence 409 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,400 on this. This Roman governor is intrigued 410 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,120 by him, and when Paul and Barnabas arrive, Alamas is 411 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:26,480 threatened by them. There will always be people 412 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:31,880 opposed to the Gospel, says look, but the Roman governor has 413 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,160 a very different approach to Alamas the sorcerer. 414 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,560 Verse 7. The pro council Sergius Paulus 415 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:41,280 was an intelligent man and sent for Barnabas and Saul because he 416 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:46,080 wanted to hear the word of God. That reminds us there will 417 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,200 always be people hungry for the gospel. 418 00:22:50,120 --> 00:22:52,120 They might be very unlikely people. 419 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:55,240 Again, Paul and Barman probably didn't expect a Roman governor 420 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,840 to want to hear from him, but here he is. 421 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,920 Why? Because Jesus is with them. 422 00:23:00,120 --> 00:23:02,720 Jesus is committed to building his church. 423 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:08,520 Our God is a saving God, and Jesus loves to save unlikely 424 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,880 people. Paul went through that glorious 425 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,920 truth his whole life. I can't believe God saved me. 426 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,640 And that opened him up to saying God could save anyone who put 427 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:21,280 their faith in Jesus, Jesus building a global church. 428 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:27,440 And even Romans are invited. Paul learns here and again, it's 429 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:32,600 striking that even the rich and the powerful are looking for 430 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,440 life and meaning in this world. In Sergius Paulus, he's he's a 431 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:38,320 powerful man. He's a wealthy man, an 432 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,120 influential man. And he'd seen all that wealth 433 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:44,680 and power could give him. And yet he still is hungry for 434 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,360 more. He wanted something more. 435 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:50,280 He needed something more. So Luke tells us he wanted to 436 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,640 hear the word of God from Paul and Barnabas. 437 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,040 This Roman governor reminds us that no matter how impressive 438 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,680 someone may look, in the words of Saint Augustine, God has made 439 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:06,080 us for himself and our hearts find no rest until they rest in 440 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:10,000 Him. But verse 8, before Sergius 441 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,680 Paulus can hear the gospel from Paul and Barnabas, we're told 442 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,720 Elemas the sorcerer opposed them and tried to turn the pro 443 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,640 council from the faith. And this is one of those 444 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:21,440 fascinating moments in the book of Acts where where we get a 445 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,680 glimpse of a spiritual conflict that often remains hidden from 446 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,160 us. If you like, this is magic 447 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,880 versus Jesus. So like the rest of of the book 448 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,160 of Acts, the rest of the Bible actually, Acts just presumes, 449 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:37,200 takes for granted the existence of spiritual forces opposed to 450 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,640 God in this world. The apostle Paul says later in 451 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,360 his letter to the Ephesians, our struggle is not against flesh 452 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:45,760 and blood ultimately, but against the rulers, against the 453 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:49,000 authorities, against the powers of this Dark World and against 454 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,800 the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 455 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:57,520 We need to be aware of that. Luke is aware of that there are 456 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:04,440 spiritual forces active in our world opposed to Jesus, but the 457 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,400 Bible is also clear that one effect of Jesus life, death and 458 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,600 resurrection is that he has defeated all those powers of 459 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:14,040 darkness and that followers of Jesus do not have to fear those 460 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,040 spiritual forces anymore. 1 John 3, verse 8. 461 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,040 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the 462 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,240 devil's work. Colossians 2. 463 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,000 Having disarmed the powers and authorities, those spiritual 464 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:28,040 forces, he made a public spectacle of them and triumphing 465 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,600 over them by the cross. So in this moment where this 466 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:36,800 magic versus Jesus, well, surprise rise. 467 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:40,600 Jesus wins. Jesus wins the battle here. 468 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,480 Verse 9. Then Saul who was called Paul, 469 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:45,800 filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Ellie mass 470 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,240 and said you're a child of the devil. 471 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,320 Again, that's a reference. You're not a son of salvation. 472 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,240 You're a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is 473 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:54,520 right. You're full of all kinds of 474 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,240 deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting 475 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,840 the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is 476 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:01,840 against you. You're going to be blind for a 477 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,640 time, not even able to see the light of the sun. 478 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,840 And immediately, mist and darkness came over him, and he 479 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,840 groped about seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 480 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:18,080 It's no contest. Paul just says Jesus has power 481 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:19,920 over you. Jesus has authority over you. 482 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:22,640 And as a sign of God's judgement, El Amas is struck 483 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,360 blind. And of course, Paul knows all 484 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:28,800 about being struck blind as a sign of God's judgement that 485 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,400 happened to him on the road to Damascus. 486 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,800 And interesting here, we're told El Amas's blindness would be 487 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,360 temporary. He says you'll be, you're going 488 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:40,920 to be blind for a time. El Amas is given a chance to 489 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:45,960 repent of his sin and rebellion, just as Paul was at Damascus. 490 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,120 Luke doesn't tell us if he ever did, but this is the grace of 491 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:52,920 God at work. And not only did Jesus win here, 492 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,440 Jesus saves here. The Roman governor comes to 493 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:01,040 faith in Jesus, arguably the first totally Gentile convert in 494 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,480 Acts. Previous converts like Cornelius 495 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,360 the Ethiopian eunuch, they had a background in the Jewish faith, 496 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:07,880 but this man seems to have had none. 497 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,400 Verse 12 When the Pro council saw what had happened, he 498 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:16,080 believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. 499 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,800 In part the governor believes because he sees Jesus authority 500 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:24,040 over LMS, but even more than that, he's amazed at the 501 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,200 teaching about the Lord. It's the Gospel of Jesus that 502 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:31,240 grips this Roman governor, the beauty of who Jesus is and all 503 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,880 he has done, just as Paul would say later in life. 504 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,040 It's that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation 505 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:41,720 of everyone who believes. It's the gospel that God uses to 506 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,920 save and transform and rescue people. 507 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:51,120 So as we prepare to leave Acts this week, what do we learn from 508 00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:56,360 the opening of Acts 13? I had a big lesson is that a 509 00:27:56,360 --> 00:27:59,560 spirit filled church is a church committed to mission. 510 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:02,600 A spirit filled church is ascending church. 511 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,520 That's what the church in Antioch shows us. 512 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,320 That is actually the privilege the Lord has given us here at 513 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,160 Ave. in recent years. So the question, will we 514 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:15,120 continue to be ascending church? Are we committed to praying 515 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:19,880 together to the Lord that He will lead us on mission wherever 516 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,720 He wants us to go? Will we allow our worship of 517 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:27,120 Jesus lead to our witness for Jesus in this world? 518 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:32,360 And are we willing to send away some people we love out of love 519 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,440 for the Lord and a love for the lost? 520 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:39,440 And also, we need to remember just the realism and the 521 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:41,840 hopefulness of Acts. There will always be people 522 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:46,280 opposed to the gospel, but there will always be people hungry for 523 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,920 the gospel. And all the Lord Jesus asked of 524 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:52,080 us is to ask him for opportunities to share the 525 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,560 gospel, to live distinctively as his witnesses, and then make the 526 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,360 most of opportunities as they come. 527 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,160 Acts 13 is only the beginning. This is the gospel beginning to 528 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:06,360 reach the ends of the earth. Eventually it reached even us in 529 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,560 the Uka long way away from Cyprus. 530 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:13,920 And one day in the future, God's Word tells us that everyone who 531 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:19,200 trusts in Jesus will be part of a global community, diverse and 532 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:23,440 glorious, worshipping at the throne of the Lamb. 533 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:28,280 Let me finish with these words from Revelation Chapter 7 before 534 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:31,240 I hand back to Chris Revelation 7. 535 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,960 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude 536 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:38,560 that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and 537 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:41,440 language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. 538 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,440 They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches 539 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,560 in their hands. And they cried out in a loud 540 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,560 voice. Salvation belongs to our God who 541 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:51,840 sits on the throne and to the Lamb. 542 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,960 All the angels were standing round the throne and round the 543 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,840 elders and the four living creatures. 544 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:00,080 They fell down on their faces before the throne and worship 545 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:05,720 God, saying Amen, Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and 546 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:11,720 honour and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. 547 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:17,680 Amen. Lord God, we thank you that you 548 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,760 are the God who cares for the whole of creation. 549 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,920 Thank You that your grace has extended even to us. 550 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,240 And would you lead and show us the part you have for us to play 551 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,800 in continuing to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth? 552 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:36,520 Help us to be a church committed to mission both locally and 553 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,400 globally, for we ask it in Jesus name, Amen.