ACTS 13:1-13 CALLED TO GODS WORK2016 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Acts 13:1-13 Called To Gods Work

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2016.

And we're going to be here in the book of Acts chapter 13. We started it last week looking at the first couple of verses, but we're going to look at those again and work our way through verse 13 this evening as we look at the beginning of the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas. And so let's take a moment to read through the passage together. Acts chapter 13 verses 1 through 13. Here's what it says.

Now in the church that was at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manan, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

Verse 6. Verse 7.

They found, or two pathos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer, for so his name is translated, withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Then Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? Verse 11. And now indeed the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem."

Here in Acts chapter 13, in these first 13 verses, we're seeing the beginning of the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. And so I've titled the message this evening, Called to God's Work, and we'll see that throughout the passage as we look at it this evening.

Paul the Apostle was called to God's work. He wasn't known as Paul the Apostle yet. He was known as Saul, and he was with Barnabas, and together they were called out of the church at Antioch to do the work that God had set aside for them. Now, as we talk about the call to God's work, I think it, you know, is important.

well known, and I'm sure you're already connecting dots in your head, that every one of us is called to God's work, that every one of us is called to ministry, to represent God. We're all called to make disciples. And so there's some very relevant things for us to consider as we look at this endeavor of Barnabas and Saul. Now, just a quick look at the timeline to give you kind of a sense of where we're at. Saul of Tarsus was

was converted around 36 AD. Now, that was back in Acts chapter 9. It was a few years after Jesus had been crucified and then resurrected and ascended into heaven. And so the church had been there in Jerusalem for a couple years. Saul was persecuting the church, but of course he had a change of heart when the Lord Jesus revealed himself to him there in Acts chapter 9.

But as we mentioned when we went through those chapters, chapter 9 and 10, Saul then went from there into a period of really kind of silence where he went back to Tarsus and he wasn't really heard from for a long time as God was doing a work with him and kind of reshaping him from being the zealous Pharisee to now preparing him to be the Apostle Paul.

And so this is a new work that's happening in this chapter. It's a brand new thing where there is a purposeful endeavor to reach Gentiles and not just the Jews with the gospel message as they go out on this missionary journey. And so it's a work of God and it's happening around 48 AD. So the church has been around, the gospel has been spread, but primarily focused on the Jews and

And now God's going to do a new work in bringing forth that message in a powerful way to the Gentiles. And so we'll get to see that develop as we go this evening, but also in the coming weeks throughout the rest of the book of Acts.

So called to God's work. As we look at the beginning of this missionary journey, the first point we'll find is in verses 1 through 4. And that is that God's work needs senders and goers. As we talk about being called to God's work,

In this passage, we see there are those who stay behind, and then there are those who go. Check out verse 1 and 2 again. It says,

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. There in verse two, you can see the portion, the verse where I got the title of the message. The Holy Spirit says, I've called them to a work. So set them apart for the work that I have called them. And so we have this list of these five guys who were prophets and teachers within the church.

Two out of the five guys were called to go, which means three out of the five guys were called to stay. Now, not that staying was not involved in ministry. They were staying to minister. They were staying to do God's work there in Antioch, but two of them were set apart to go. And so in God's work, he had some who were called to go and some who were called to stay.

There are those who are sending those who are going, and there are those who are the ones who are being sent and going to the thing that God has called them to. And so the Holy Spirit spoke and said, do something different. Separate these two guys. Distinguish. There's something different that I have called them to.

And so set them apart for that. Release them from all ties. Release them from all responsibilities and let them go do what I have called them to do. And so in verse 3 it says, That word sent, it means to fully release or to set free.

So they, you know, gave them just the freedom to be able to go. The idea that they had no obligations back home, that whatever ministry schedules they were on, you know, they were able to just cross off their names from the ushers ministry and the children's ministry, and they didn't have to feel guilty about going because they had those obligations, but they were set free to go do what the Holy Spirit had set apart for them.

And so they were sent on this mission that the Holy Spirit had appointed them to. They were sent forth by the church. The church laid hands on them, fasted and prayed, and sent them forth.

away. Now again, it's something that we are all called to do in one sense, that we're called to make disciples. That great commission that Jesus gave to his disciples there on the Mount of Olives in Matthew chapter 28 is applicable to every disciple, not just those 11 and not just to leaders within the church, but every

I would put it this way. When Jesus says, go make disciples, some are called to go near and some are called to go far. That is, some are called to, you know, your hometown and some are called to foreign places or to far away places, but all are called to God's work. But especially those who are called to go, well, they need God.

support. They need to be sent. They need help. And so we see that the church here is spoken to by the Holy Spirit. Notice that the Holy Spirit doesn't just say to Saul and Barnabas, hey guys, quietly sneak away and move on to this new work that I have set for you. The Holy Spirit speaks to the church, to the leaders, as well as the congregation, and says, be part of this and send them out.

There was this work that was going on. They were joining together in this work, even though it was Saul and Barnabas who were going. And that's really important to understand about the work of the kingdom of God. We've often seen, I've mentioned it many, many, many, many, many, many times, God has designed us as a body. That is, we are members of one another. We

We belong to each other. We're all part of the body. And as a part of the body, we all have our share, our part to do in the body. And for some, that means one thing. And for others, it means something different. But we're all interdependent upon each other. And nobody is excused from doing their part in the body. It's not that Saul and Barnabas had their part in the body.

And these other guys who stayed back, they didn't have a part in the body, and so they didn't get a go. But these guys, they had a special part, so they had to go. Both are important. Both were part of the plan of God. Both were part of the will of God. But for those who are sent out, we can participate with them by sending them out, by being part of the work that is going on and that the Holy Spirit seeks to do through them.

So sometimes part of the way that we participate in the work that God is doing around the world is by sending out those who are going, by working with them in reaching the lost in various places. I would ask you to consider what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. In Philippians 4, verse 16, he says, "'For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.'"

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. There in the book of Philippians, Paul is writing to the Philippians and saying, thank you for the financial gift that you sent.

While I was in Thessalonica, you sent aid a couple times, and you haven't been able to send any aid for me recently, but now you've sent aid once again, and I'm just rejoicing in that. And he says, to make sure it's clear, not that I'm looking for the gift, I'm not trying to get your money, but I'm looking for the fruit that abounds to your account. In other words, Paul tells the Philippians, when you give...

And help support the work that I'm doing here. You're participating in the work. And the fruit that abounds here is abounding to your account also. Because you've joined with me in the work that is going on. And so we can participate in the work that is going on. And again, that's why the point is God's work needs senders and goers.

Those who stay back are still called to go, but it's just in a different capacity. But those who are called to go in a more literal sense, they need the rest of the body to engage with them and help them, support them in the work that is going on as they carve out new territory for the kingdom of God by reaching out with the gospel to various places.

Another verse that we often look to, and I didn't put on the screen for you, but in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul appeals to the Romans. The church in Romans says, please join with me in this work by striving with, I'm sorry, strive together with me in the work by praying for me.

And so he says, you can join in the work. You can be supporting the work. You can participate with him in the work that is going on where he's at by spending time in prayer for him. And so that's one of the reasons why on Wednesday nights we spend time in prayer. And I want to just refresh our memories in that and remind ourselves that it's a valuable time. It's an important time. It's not just...

to change up the program. It's not just, you know, well, Wednesdays should probably be a little bit different than Sundays because if every service is exactly the same, that'll get kind of boring. So what can we do on Wednesdays that's different than Sundays? Let's pray for the missionaries. That's a good idea. It's not like that at all. But one of the reasons why we set aside time to pray for the missionaries is because, well, we seek the fruit that abounds to your account. We seek the fruit that abounds as we engage with

the missionaries and the work that is going on. And that's also one of the reasons why we have a missionary of the month. And can I just remind you that you can be a sender in the kingdom of God. You can be part of those who send and part of those who support by engaging with the missionary of the month. It's one of the reasons why, you know, we've put it together that way and the Lord's put it upon our heart in that way so that

We can take some time and as a congregation have a kind of a concerted effort to encourage our missionaries, to let them know their love, to let them know they're being prayed for. Just as I'm sure you would appreciate that if a group of people just connected with you, you know, all at once and said, hey, just want you to know we love you. We're praying for you. I'm sure you would appreciate that.

Our missionaries definitely appreciate that. And it's not just moral support, but it's an investment into the kingdom of God. We can strive together with them by praying to God for them. That's what Paul says. I think it's Romans 13. Strive together with them. Now, we can also join in the work like the Philippians did with Paul by sending aid, by helping support them and support the work that they are doing around the world.

And again, like the Apostle Paul would say, I'm not seeking the gift, but the fruit that abounds to your account. Can I just remind you that if you would give to a particular missionary, 100% of that gift goes to that missionary. And you can do that by writing their name on the check or by writing their name on the envelope.

And when you drop that in the offering, we will forward that on and pass that on to the missionary so that you can engage, you can send out that missionary who is on the mission field and help do the work that is going on there, help provide for the work that is going on there. I just want to encourage you. God's work needs senders as well as goers. And as

members of the body. We're not just disconnected and separate, but those that God has raised up and sent out of here. Now, it's interesting to be part of a church that has been around for some time,

You know, there are some of you who have never met our missionaries. You've never, you weren't part of, you know, some of us, we grew up with our missionaries, like Tim and IU. You know, I was there, you know, when he first started coming, and, you know, was in high school, and, you know, a punk kid, and you never thought, you know, he would do the things that he's doing now, but God has raised him up and done incredible work, and

And so I've been part of that. But you're part of that too as a member of the body here, that you're part of the work that God is doing here. And so I would encourage you to engage in that work and to be involved in sending those who have been sent, those that the Holy Spirit has laid hands on and raised up and called out. I think it's important for us to remember and to be reminded that

We have a responsibility and we have the privilege of being part of the work that they're doing and the fruit that abounds to their account abounds to our account as we engage in that work with them. Now, this isn't to lay any kind of trip upon anybody or anything, but let me just show you a quick graph here of our missionary giving for the past 10 years.

So this is money given by the congregation for the purpose of missions. So you go back 10 years ago, we're about $11,000. You go to 2016, we're about $800 so far this year given towards missions. And that's not...

what the church pays out towards missions and supporting missionaries, but this is what the congregation gives towards missions. I think it's a statement. I think it's something for us to consider. And again, not for guilt. There's no pounding. I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. I would ask you to consider. Would you pray for

about your giving towards missions? Would you pray about maybe God would lay someone upon your heart that you would want to support and engage in the work with? And think about it this way as an investment into the kingdom of God. As Paul the apostle said, I don't seek the gift, but the fruit that abounds to your account. There's a way for you to invest in eternity by helping those who are out there doing a unique work for the kingdom of God.

And you get a chance to participate in that. You get a chance to be rewarded along with them for the work that is going on. And so seek out those fruitful missionaries and support them and bless them and minister to them and pray for them. It doesn't have to be a financial gift, of course, but we can strive together with them in prayers to God for them and be part of the work of God in that way. We're all called to God's work, but in the midst of the work of God, there are

those who are sent, and they need senders. They need those who will come alongside them, who will back them up, who will pray for them, and who will support them. And I would encourage you to participate in some way, in some capacity, whatever degree that might be for you, but participate in the work of God in sending out missionaries and supporting those who have been sent.

Well, moving on to verse 4, it says, And so there's a little bit of geography happening in this chapter, so I want to help you kind of follow along with that. Here in verse 4, we find they go from Antioch to Seleucia. So Antioch is there on the top.

And they were there in the church. That's where the church was. And Saul and Barnabas had been ministering there for several years now.

And as they are sent out, the first place they go is to the port, which was Seleucia there, right on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. And they're going to sail across to the island of Cyprus and spend some time there ministering the gospel. Now, the island of Cyprus was Barnabas's hometown.

He was from Cyprus. We find that out in Acts chapter 4 verse 36. And so he's going back to his old neighborhood. He hasn't been there for a long time, but he's going back there and he's going to minister the gospel along with Saul. And as they go across, they start at one end of the island of Cyprus and they work their way all the way across to Paphos and we'll see that in just a couple verses.

And so they begin this journey. They begin this work as the church sends them out. But notice what it says in verse 4. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit. So the church sends them out, but it's also the Holy Spirit sending them out.

It's a good reminder here of the integral part of the church the Holy Spirit is, that they're to be inseparable. What the Holy Spirit does is what the church does, and what the church does is what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit said, separate these guys and send them out. And so the church laid hands on them and sent them out. And so the Holy Spirit sent them out. It was a work of the Holy Spirit. And it should be our endeavor to be in line with what the Holy Spirit is doing.

That we don't just lay hands and send out whenever we think it's a good idea or whenever there's some nice, cool thing happening or we think someone is specially gifted or anything, but that we lay hands and we send out as the Holy Spirit is directing. That we engage in, let's say, outreaches or activities or things as the Holy Spirit is working. That we, as a church, are flowing in the work, in the activities, in the direction that the Holy Spirit is leading.

We're called to God's work, and God's work needs senders and goers. Well, moving on to verses 5 through 12, here we have point number two, and that is God's work will be opposed. As God leads and as the Holy Spirit sends out, we need to make sure that we are not under the impression or have the expectation that everything will be flawless and smooth. You know, we probably have enough experience to recognize that, but sometimes we forget that.

and you sign up for a retreat, and then you're surprised as all of a sudden there's all these attacks, or you sign up for a new men's study, and then you're like, man, where did all this stuff come from? You know, all of a sudden I'm struggling, all of a sudden there's troubles, all of a sudden there's difficulty. It's no surprise that as we take steps of faith, as we take steps of obedience, that there is opposition that we face. And that's what Saul and Barnabas find here in verses 5 through 12. So verse 5 says...

And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus.

So here again is the geography really quickly. They started out in Antioch. They went to Seleucia. They boarded a ship. They went across over to Cyprus and landed at Salamis. And they spent some time there in the synagogues. And then they worked their way across. So verse 6 says, when they had gone through the island to Paphos. So there's a lot that's happening there. It's not just...

the directions that they went, but they're ministering to the villages and towns along the way. And so they're preaching the gospel to the whole island, and then they make their way across to the other end. So there's a lot of details that are not being recorded, but they go through the island to Paphos, and then from there, they're going to sail across to go up into Asia Minor, and we'll see that in just a moment.

Look at verse 5 also. It says they also had John as their assistant. This is John Mark, who we'll be talking about more a little bit later when we get to Acts chapter 15, perhaps. But John Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark.

possibly the nephew of Barnabas. His mom owned the home where the disciples were praying. Remember when Peter was released from prison and he went to the door and they were so surprised that he was there that the girl didn't even open the door. She went inside and they were praying at the house that was owned by John Mark's mom. And it tells us, and I think it's in chapter 12, or maybe chapter 11, when

Barnabas and Saul go to Jerusalem with the gift from Antioch. When they come back, they bring John Mark with him. And so there was some kind of connection. There was some kind of camaraderie that kind of sprung up. And so he came back with them to Antioch. And now as they go on this missionary trip, he's joining them. He's assisting them in the work that is going on.

Well, looking again at verse 6, it says, Now when they had gone through the island of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

So now as they continue on in the work, they've gone through the island, they get to the other side, and their reputation has gone before them. There's been some news that has been brought to the proconsul. This is the Roman ruler, the Roman official who's appointed over this whole island. And so he is, you know, the highest in command as far as the island is concerned. He's in charge. He's heard about Barnabas and Saul. It tells us he's an intelligent man.

And so he wants to hear about this message that is being proclaimed, and he summons Barnabas and Saul, and it says he seeks to hear the word of God. But as there's this interest in the word of God, as there's this interest by this official, there is also opposition by this guy in his employ, this guy who was a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus.

Now, the word Bar-Jesus, it literally means son of Jesus or son of Joshua or son of the Savior. But of course, he was nothing of the sort. Later on, the Apostle Paul will call him the son of the devil. And so we recognize, you know, he wasn't inspired by the Lord, but he was what's kind of referred to as a Jewish sorcerer.

Now, sorcery wasn't really part of Judaism, but there were those who kind of took into sorcery or took on some kinds of sorcery from Jewish culture and background and such. And so this was a common thing in their day, and many times officials would have these people that they would call on for wisdom, for insight, for counsel, and that kind of thing. And so this guy was...

of Jewish descent probably, certainly from Judaism. It says he was a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus. So I guess he was probably a Jew since it says he was a Jew. So he's Jewish. He's practicing some kind of sorcery or witchcraft or something and seeking to...

So now Luke calls him by a different name, Ilimus.

I like Dave Guzik's suggestion. He said Luke couldn't even bear to have any kind of connection to the name of Jesus any longer to this guy. So he used a different name, Elemus, which is translated sorcerer, just so you wouldn't have to write Bar-Jesus again. But this sorcerer withstood them. It's a direct opposition. And notice it says, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

You know, there's opposition sometimes that happens with people in terms of the gospel message that maybe you could kind of classify it as just general stubbornness, you know, in the same way that there's opposition to Facebook. You know, it's like, I'm old. I don't want Facebook. I don't want to be. Don't tell me about it. Don't teach me about it. Don't tell me about stuff on Facebook. You know, there's just kind of general opposition that can happen to anything new, to anything different. I don't want to think about things. You know, I don't want to consider things. This

Opposition that they're experiencing is not that kind of opposition. This is a very serious, directed, satanic opposition because his whole purpose was to prevent the proconsul from receiving the gospel message. He was trying to turn him away from the faith.

This is a very evil and wicked and vile opposition that is going on as he seeks to turn him away from the gospel message. And so Saul's response here is appropriate. In verse 9 it says,

And said, O fool of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now indeed the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit, it tells us.

And so he has a boldness, but he also has insight into what is going on. And so he speaks to this sorcerer and he says, you are full of deceit and all fraud. Now, deceit and fraud, it gives us a little bit of a clue about what's happening here, that this guy is not blind to the truth, but that he has known the truth and is seeking to cover up the truth.

And so again, it's clear this is the worst of the opposition, and that's why he calls him a son of the devil, an enemy of righteousness. He's perverting the ways of the Lord. He's preventing people or seeking to prevent people from hearing and receiving the gospel message. And so Saul deals with him very sternly, very harshly, you might say. And he calls down blindness on this guy.

He says, And so it says immediately, But I think it's interesting how it was this particular thing that he was inflicted with, blindness.

I don't know how much freedom Saul had. I don't know if God gave him multiple choice. All right, Saul, you can blind this guy. You can make him lame. You can, you know, twist his arm. You can do these different things. Take your pick. I don't know if that's how God presented it to him or not. Probably not. But blindness. Because Saul experienced blindness. Remember when the Lord appeared to him?

And so maybe in Saul's mind, he was thinking, you know, blindness did me some good. It finally helped me to see. And so maybe it'll do you some good too. It's not just that he struck him down. That's one tactic or technique that the Lord could use in judgment, right? He could have just called down fire from heaven or lightning and just, you know, knock this guy out, took him out. But here's the thing. He brought blindness because even in the midst of opposition, the Lord cares about the opposers.

He cares about, and it's another opportunity for this guy, even though what he was doing was absolutely wicked and vile, the opposition and the worst kind, God gives him another opportunity to receive that message, to recognize the truth, to repent and turn from his sorcery and deception and fraud. So Saul says, blindness did me some good. Maybe it'll do you some good too.

And maybe Saul is thinking about to when he opposed the faith in that way, even to that degree, like this sorcerer was, recognizing and remembering what Christ did for him and appearing to him and blinding him. Well, then verse 12, it says,

And so instead of preventing him from receiving the gospel, instead this whole opposition turned around and was used by the Lord as an effective tool at helping the proconsul understand Jesus really is God. There really is power in the name of Jesus. He's astonished at the teaching of the Lord, and so it says that he believes.

And so we can take comfort and hope and rest in that. God's work will be opposed. As we involve ourselves in the work of God, there will be opposition. There will be those who seek to turn others away from the faith. There will be those who seek to slow down or to thwart the work that God wants us to do. But what we can rest in and what we can know is that in the end, God's work will still be accomplished.

And we may not see it exactly. We may not see what we expect to see, but we can trust and know that God's work will be accomplished even when there's opposition. Well, as we're called to God's work, we see that there are senders and goers, and we need to be engaged in the work of God in both ways. There will be opposition. And finally, number three is we'll look at verse 13. God transforms you while you work.

And I think this verse is really interesting, and this whole passage here that we're looking at is very interesting for this purpose. And so we'll take a moment here to consider the transformation that takes place. Verse 13. Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

Quickly looking at the geography before we get into the rest of the verse. So we started out in the Antioch, went to Seleucia, crossed over the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus, and they worked their way across the island preaching the gospel all the way to Paphos. Then they got another boat and they sailed north to Perga. Now they're entering into Asia Minor and they're going to be ministering in that area for the rest of chapter 13 and then on into chapter 14.

And so they land there in Perga and they begin to work their way north. And so we'll get to see that next week. Now the dotted line that goes down to Jerusalem, that's John Mark.

When they land in Perga, we don't know exactly all the details, but John Mark decides, you know, I've gone far enough. I don't want to continue on this mission trip. And so he bails and goes down back to Jerusalem where he's from. And so we'll get to see that a little bit more as we look at this verse and consider it. So here in Acts chapter 13, again, point number three is God transforms you while you work. Now notice what it says here in verse 13.

Now, when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos. Now, there's a change that happens here. Do you see it? Do you recognize there's a change that has taken place? We're seeing the transformation unfold while they're in the middle of this mission trip where Saul of Tarsus is becoming the Apostle Paul. Saul of Tarsus...

We go back to earlier in the book of Acts when he was persecuting the church. He was very zealous for the Jewish faith. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He excelled above all his peers in the study of the law, in the following of the scriptures. He was taught by one of the best rabbis, Gamaliel. He was very zealous for the Jewish faith.

So much so that he persecuted the church. He made havoc of the church. But then in chapter 9, God got a hold of him. He was converted on the road to Damascus. And as I mentioned at the beginning, he spent many years kind of in silence. I'm sure he was serving the Lord and God was shaping him in those years where he was home in Tarsus.

And as Barnabas is sent up from the church in Jerusalem to Antioch to check out the work that is going on there, he says, you know, Saul would be perfect for this work. And so you see this transformation taking place where Saul is radically opposed to the things of God and he's now serving the Lord. He's involved in ministry. He gets plugged into the church at Antioch and he's serving there and engaged in the work there. And then now here in chapter 13, the Lord takes it another step.

Not just is he serving the Lord and engaged in the church, but now he's sent out from the church on a missionary journey, the first of its kind, to bring the gospel to the far reaches of the world. The Holy Spirit said, separate to me Barnabas and Saul. We're seeing this transformation unfold. Now in verse 9, it tells us, then Saul, who is also called Paul,

And so Luke here, the Holy Spirit through Luke is highlighting this transition that's happening, this transformation that's happening where Saul is becoming Paul. Now, don't think about it in like movie terms. Okay, there's no like metamorphosis happening. He's not like growing hair or shining differently or, you know, it's not like that that's going on. But there's a transition in the focus of the ministry and in the leadership of this mission trip.

The focus of the ministry, you can see because the names that are used. Now, it was very common. It was a normal Jewish practice then. It still exists today where Jewish men would have two names. It was a normal thing. They would have a religious name and a secular name. The religious name or their Jewish name would be, you know, a name from their Jewish heritage. And

Now, of course, if you think about the name of Saul, you can go back to the first king of the nation of Israel, Saul. That's who Saul is named after. And so that's his Jewish name. But the Jews also would give them a secular name that was appropriate for the culture that they were living in.

Because, well, many of the Jews weren't, you know, born and raised in the land of Israel or in the city of Jerusalem. Saul was Saul of Tarsus. He was born and raised in Tarsus. He was born with a Roman citizenship. He was born into Roman culture. And so he was given a Roman name, which was Paul. Paul.

I don't think the significance is in the meaning of the names necessarily. The word or the name Saul means asked and the name Paul means little. And maybe there's some, you know, significance that the Lord would want to like bring out from that. But I think the main point of this is not so much the meaning of the names or that he, you know, like transformed into a butterfly or, you know, had a new glow now or anything like that, but that the focus is shifting from Jews to Gentiles.

Saul, ministering to Jews. Now Paul, remember God told him at the very beginning in Acts chapter 9, that he was going to bring the gospel to Gentiles. Now this is many years later, but it's now that this transformation is taking place where this focus is happening, and Paul is beginning to fulfill that thing that God had said he would do many years prior.

He's beginning to do the work that God had said he was going to do when he first got saved. It's a transformation that's happening where now promises of God are being fulfilled, revealed, and lived out in the life of the Apostle Paul. And so there's a change in the focus of his ministry. But notice there's also a change in the leadership of this mission trip. Because while it's referred to as Paul's,

and his party here in verse 13. Now, if you go back to verse 2 here in chapter 13, the Holy Spirit says, separate to me Barnabas and Saul. And you see this pattern. When Barnabas and Saul are sent to Jerusalem, it's Barnabas and Saul. Barnabas is, well, he's the older believer. He's the one who's discipling Paul. He's the one who's mentoring Paul and kind of encouraging him. He's the one who, you know, introduced Barnabas.

Paul, Saul at that time, to the disciples. And he's the one who is kind of like leading in many ways. And even as they are sent out on this mission trip, he's the one that the Lord puts first, Barnabas and Saul. But there's a transformation. Somehow, along the way here, they're going through the island of Cyprus, and they get to the other side. And in this 90-mile journey, the Lord's done some transformation.

There's a work that's been happening in Saul so that now, oh yeah, we call him Paul also because of his ministry, because of the work that's happening. And by the time they get to Paphos, it's no longer Barnabas and Saul, it's Paul and his party. Barnabas isn't even mentioned. Now, I'm not going to get into Barnabas and what he might have been going through. You know, I'm sure he was a very spiritual man, but emotionally there was probably some things that he had to wrestle with

As there was this transition where now going forward, we see Paul leading this work, leading this trip, leading the missionary endeavors that are going on. There's a leadership change as Paul steps in to fulfill the role that God has given to him. Saul is becoming Paul. But it's happening. Notice when it's happening. This did not happen at Antioch.

It didn't happen at Antioch. It didn't tell us that in Antioch they were there and the Holy Spirit said, all right, rename Saul to Paul, put him in charge and send them out on this mission trip. How did it happen? The Holy Spirit kept things exactly the way they were. Barnabas and Saul, grab these two guys and send them out. And the transformation that's happening in Paul is happening on the journey in real time while they're doing the work.

I think this is something very important to know about the work of God. Let me put it to you this way. You will never feel fully prepared for the work that God calls you to. You will never feel fully prepared for the work that God calls you to. The work that God does and the way that God works in us is he prepares us for the work while we do the work. He transforms us while we're engaged in the work.

And let me just say, when you feel fully prepared, it's usually because you have way too much confidence in yourself. It's appropriate for us to feel unprepared, for us to feel not up to the challenge when God calls us to a work. Now, by all means, I'm not saying there's no place for training and discipling. That's appropriate. That's needed. That's necessary. But at the end of all the training and discipling that God has apportioned for you,

Most likely, you will still not feel ready for the work that God calls you to do. And that keeps many people in a state of not doing what God has called them to do because they never feel ready to do what God has called them to do. Remember, God gave this insight back in chapter 9. Saul was going to bring the gospel to Gentiles. That was given a long time ago, but it's not fulfilled until right now.

And it was fulfilled while he's doing the work of reaching Gentiles, while he's engaged, while he's on the mission trip, while he's on the journey. That's when this transformation actually happens. And you know, there are people, I've been one of those people, I will probably be one of those people again, who know there's something that God has put on my heart, but I don't feel quite ready for it. And so I don't do it.

thinking that, well, one day I'll feel ready and then I'll be able to do it. But the way that God works very often is start to do the work as he calls you to do the work, even though you don't feel ready. And he will do the transformation necessary while you do the work, on the journey, while you're engaged in it. Then that's when he gives you that final equipping and preparation that you need. You see, God is the one who gets to say when you're ready.

And there's a lot of times that we hold back in doing the work of God. We're called to God's work, but we don't do the work that God's put upon our heart because we don't feel ready. But you're not the authority on whether or not you're ready. And you don't get to make that determination. When God calls you to go, when the Holy Spirit said, separate Saul and Barnabas to me, that was the Lord speaking. And Saul and Barnabas didn't get an opportunity to say, well, I don't know if I'm quite ready for that.

Of course they had freedom. They could have refused the Lord, but you get the point. When the Holy Spirit spoke, they had to go. Whether or not they felt ready, whether or not Saul was Paul yet, or whether or not he was the leader of this trip, they didn't have to wait around for that to happen. That was going to take place while they went. It's important to know this about the work of God. You will never feel fully prepared for the work that God calls you to do.

Think about what Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, verse 12. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Timothy did not feel ready for the work. He had plenty of excuses specifically related to his youth. He was young. Paul says, let no one despise your youth. Many years ago, we did a whole series on this called The Inadequate Example.

Timothy, you're called to be an example. Yes, you're inadequate. Yes, you feel inadequate, but that's no excuse. You're still called to be an example. So be an example even though you're inadequate. Be an example even though you feel inadequate because you're not going to feel adequate unless you're in the flesh probably and you think way too much of yourself and you're in pride.

But when you recognize the work that God's called you to, when you recognize what he's called you to engage in, when you recognize what's going on and who you are and what you have to offer, which is really nothing, you're always going to feel inadequate. But God will transform you while you do the work that he calls you to. And so you can trust him in that.

What's required of stewards? You might remember Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, 2, what's required in stewards is that one be found faithful. You have to be faithful. That's what's required of stewards, right? But it's interesting. Earlier in Timothy, 1 Timothy 1, verse 12, Paul says, and I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. What's required of stewards? That they be found faithful. And what does Paul say? Faithful.

I think Jesus, because he counted me faithful. That word counted, it's the same word where we are counted righteous or the righteousness of God is imputed to us. It's added to us. In other words, Paul says, I wasn't faithful, but he counted me faithful. He imputed faithfulness to me and put me into the ministry. In other words, I wasn't faithful enough, but God put me into the ministry anyways. He called me to ministry, even though I didn't quite measure up yet.

He called me to ministry even though I wasn't quite ready for it. I wasn't fully prepared. You could think about some examples, right? Moses did not feel ready for his call. He didn't feel prepared. And God said, look, I'll give you the words. I can't speak. I'll give you the words. Moses resisted that transformation that God wanted to do as he did the work. Think about Jeremiah. We're reading the book of Jeremiah now as we go through the Bible in three years. Jeremiah did not feel ready for his call.

In Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 7, the Lord said, do not say I am a youth, for you shall go to all whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Jeremiah, don't tell me you're just a youth. Don't tell me you're just a kid and try to excuse yourself. I know you don't feel ready. I know you don't feel prepared, but you're going to go do what I've called you to do, and you're going to speak what I've commanded you to speak. Now, this can be really hard. It's really hard to

to engage in God's work when you don't feel prepared. It requires faith. We really have to trust God, that we respond to his call in faith. He's called us, and so we go, trusting him, even though I don't feel up to the task. Going back now many years to when Pastor Tom first

spoke to me about leaving Living Water, and he believed that God had called me to be the pastor. God had been working in me, and so in many ways it was a confirmation, and I knew it was what the Lord wanted. But you need to understand, I was not prepared to be the pastor of Living Water. I wasn't. I was inadequate. Talk about inadequate example. The reason why I went through that series is because I was an inadequate example. I wasn't ready. I wasn't prepared, and not in a bad way where I shouldn't have been.

taken on this role, but just in the reality of the work of God, and that is He calls us to things that we're not equipped for and prepared for on our own, so that we rely upon Him, and He does the work and gets the glory. I wasn't prepared. I was 26 years old, brand newly married. Now, 12 years later, I can easily and confidently say I'm still not fully prepared. I

But I've been doing it for 12 years, and as the work has gone, well, God has been giving me what I need. And sometimes, like last year we saw, right? What I needed was to learn how to use a nail gun. And God gave me what I needed, not stuff I'm equipped to do or prepared to do or authorized to do in many cases. But...

But that's the way that God does. And we have to trust God in his leading and his call and be led by the Holy Spirit like these guys to do the work of God, trusting him even though we don't feel prepared and don't feel up to the challenge. Now, again, this is hard. I hate doing things that I don't feel prepared for. I want to have full understanding of everything that's going to happen. I hate going into a conversation where I don't know what the subject is going to be. You know, someone calls up and says, hey, I need to talk.

Okay, about what? Oh, well, let's just talk when we get there. Ah, man. Now, if you say, hey, I want to talk about this verse or this passage. I want to talk about, you know, God spoke this to me. Or then, well, I'm much more comfortable. That's part of my personality. That's part of who I am. I don't like things that I don't know about. And so to enter into something that I'm not prepared for, that I don't know what to expect, that's hard stuff for me. But I have to trust God and respond as the Holy Spirit moves.

And I'm experiencing that not just in ministry, but in the workplace, you know. Today I was involved with a conference call. It was a potential client who became a client this week. And I closed the deal. And I got to tell you, I've never closed a deal in my life. I don't know how to close a deal. What are you talking about? I'm

No, I'm not prepared for this. I'm not equipped for this. But you know what? This is where the Holy Spirit has me, and I have to trust the Lord. And it's just the same in the workplace as it is in ministry. I got to be responsive to what the Holy Spirit is doing and trust God and go forward and trust that God will do the transformation as I do the work.

And I'm not sharing that as, you know, hey, I'm always a good example. And these are, you know, this is why I'm your pastor, because I'm such a great guy and always listen to the Holy Spirit and trust God to do the work. No, no, no. I've been like Paul and trusted God for the transformation. But I've also been like John Mark. Look again at verse 13. Now, when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

So there are those who hear the call of God, respond to the call of the Holy Spirit, and experience the transformation while they engage in the work, even though they're not prepared. But there are also those who have the call of God and struggle with the lack of preparation, struggle with that trust and faith and such, and resist and run from the transformation that God wants to bring. I've been to John Mark also, running from

from what God has called me to. Not willing to trust the Lord for the work that he will do in me as I am obedient to what he has called me to. Later on, this becomes a huge point of contention between Barnabas and Paul. Because Paul, he says in chapter 15, verse 36, he abandoned us. He departed. He didn't go with us into the work. He ran when we needed him most. He wasn't willing to

to be part of that transformation while the work went on. And so he turned and set sail back to Jerusalem. Now that's kind of fleshing out some assumptions that we make with John Mark. Maybe God had some other things going on and maybe that's exactly what God wanted. But it fits that pattern of being there and not wanting to go forward. I can't continue on. And there are so many times that you, me, we bail when it gets really hard.

But we should continue because that's the work that God wants to do. God transforms you while you work. The things that you think you could never do, God gives you the strength, the capacity, the ability to do them while you do it, not before you do it. He doesn't give you the strength to be a martyr for him before you become a martyr for him. He gives you the strength to be a martyr for him when you become a martyr for him. He gives you what you need as you walk and

in fulfillment to his calling. Are you waiting to feel fully prepared to do what God has put upon your heart? If you're waiting so that you feel fully prepared, you're going to be waiting for a long time because you're never going to feel fully prepared. Training is important. Discipleship is important. There's an appropriate place for all that, but don't get stuck in that cycle of never feeling ready, and so you never go forward. You will never feel fully prepared for the work that God calls you to.

There's always going to be the step of faith. There's always going to be that requirement that you have to trust God because you don't measure up to the work that he's put upon your heart. Whatever that might be, and that might be sharing the gospel with someone next to you. It might be with starting a Bible study. It might be with changing an occupation. It might be with, you can run down your own list of stuff. Whatever it is that God is putting upon your heart, whatever it is that God is leading you to, you're never going to feel ready for it.

But trust God and respond as he speaks and he will transform you while you do the work. And so here in Acts chapter 13, we see the call to God's work. It needs senders and goers, those who support those who go and those who stay back and do the work that God has set before them. There's going to be opposition and we're always going to feel unprepared. But notice the role of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit spoke and said, send out Barnabas and Saul. And so verse four tells us they were sent out by the Holy Spirit. In verse nine, Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in the midst of this, leading them, guiding them, and providing for them everything that they need. It's a model for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to be led by the Holy Spirit, and to go forward in the work that God has called us to. Let's pray. Lord, as we come before you this evening,

With all of these things in our hearts and minds, I pray, God, that you would pour out upon us your Holy Spirit. I pray, God, that you would lead us by your Spirit, just like you did Barnabas and Saul, just like you did the church at Antioch. Lord, would you speak to us? And Lord, the things that you've already spoken to us,

the work that you've called us into, the direction that you've called us towards, that the things that you've set upon our hearts that you want us to do, I pray, God, that you would give us boldness by your spirit to do them, not to run from them, not to flee because it's hard or difficult, but Lord, to really fix our eyes on you, to trust you, to give us the strength, the wisdom, the guidance that we need.

And help us, Lord, to engage in the work. Lord, so many times that's the way that you accomplish what you desire to accomplish in us as we trust you and obey the things that you put upon our heart. It's while we do your work that you change us. And Lord, those things that we've been calling out to you for, those things that we've been desiring change in, Lord, many times we're not seeing that change because we're not engaged in your work.

We're not responding to your word. We're not responding as you speak. Help us, God, to not hold ourselves back from that change, from that transformation, from the glorious things that you want to do in us and also through us. But help us, Lord, instead to lay hold of you, to hear you speak, to trust you to work, and to go forward in faith, knowing that you will do the transformation. You'll deal with the opposition because it's you who've called us.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.