ACTS 14:21-28 WHAT BEING PART OF A CHURCH MEANS2016 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Acts 14:21-28 What Being Part Of A Church Means

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. You can open up your Bibles to Acts chapter 14.

Acts chapter 14, and we'll be finishing up the chapter looking at verses 21 through 28. And here in this passage, we'll be finishing up Paul's first missionary journey. We've been walking along with him since chapter 13 as him and Barnabas were sent out. And they went from place to place to place, sharing the gospel, establishing churches. And now they're going to wrap that up and head back to their home church back at Antioch.

and gather the saints together there and share with them what happened. And so we'll be looking at that as we work through this passage together. Acts chapter 14, verses 21 through 28. Let's begin by reading through this passage together. Verse 21 says, And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Italia. Verse 26 says,

From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples. Here as we finish out chapter 14 in the book of Acts, I've titled the message this evening, What Being Part of a Church Means.

And I think it's an important thing that is good for us to discuss. What does it mean to be part of a church? Now, it's not typically how I would approach this passage because we're looking at, you know, the verse by verse and walking through this mission trip. And so, you know, the Lord kind of turned things around a little bit as I was preparing for the message, but really emphasized some of the connections that we see with the church happening in the passage today.

And I think there's some important things for us to consider in that. So first, a quick look at the geography just to kind of wrap up the missionary trip. This is Paul's first missionary trip.

And they left out of Antioch back at the beginning of chapter 13. They went across to the island of Cyprus and did a lot of ministry there. And their transitions happened as Saul of Tarsus became the Apostle Paul and really began leading this missionary endeavor. Then they went north to Asia Minor and began ministering in that area as they went from town to town. Usually they were driven out of the towns by the apostles.

angry Jews who, you know, didn't want to see them continue to share the gospel and accomplish, you know, what they wanted to accomplish, which was turn people to believers, to Christ, and have them believe. And so there was this opposition that they kept going from town to town. And so they walked through different parts of Asia Minor, and they ended up in Derby. That's where we ended with Paul last week in chapter 14. And then now what we're going to see is the return trip. They

kind of do an about face. They go back from Derby to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch there, and then go down to the coast and sail back to their home church back in Antioch. Overall, it's about 1,200 miles that they have traveled. 567 of those were on land, and about 635 of those were on sea. And so they did a lot of travel. It probably took about one to two years for them to complete this mission trip.

So sometimes we think about mission trips, you know, typically for us, it's a 10 day trip or, you know, maybe a two week trip is like really long. But for them, it was a, it was a big commitment. It was, travel was hard. It was difficult. It was dangerous. And it was a big chunk of time to be able to go from place to place. And so they spent these one to two years ministering on the mission field in that way.

Well, that's the finishing up of their missionary journey, but talking about what we have before us today is what it means to be part of a church. The word church, it's the word ekklesia. It's

means basically a gathering of people. Now, it was not exclusive to the Christians. The word church was used to talk about a gathering of citizens, a gathering of people for any capacity, for any purpose. And so it was just, you know, talking about a gathering, a group of people that has gathered together. But of course, in the church or in, you know, for us as Christians, we

It took on new meaning because it wasn't just a random gathering or a unique special gathering that doesn't happen, but the scriptures refer to the church as a specific gathering of people that gathers regularly for a variety of reasons and purposes. Now, in our society, in our culture, there is a tendency for us to focus on individuals and to focus on ourselves.

And because of that, sometimes our Christian perspective can be a little bit skewed because we're reading the Bible to see, you know, what does it say to me, which God does want to speak to you. But there's more to the Christian life than that. Sometimes we're so focused on individuals that, you know, events or activities or services are based upon a particular person,

And that's not necessarily wrong, but it does, you know, if it's overemphasized or if it's not complete in the picture, it causes us to think about, you know, well, ministry is about them or about that person or about, you know, someone else doing something. But we...

need to have a better understanding than that. Attending church is not, you know, okay, well, you all sit in the pews there, and then we'll have a good worship leader, and, you know, some good music play, and that'll happen, and then we'll have a good speaker, and, you know, you'll get some education. But there's much more to it than that. It's not just a classroom. It's not just an assembly, you know, where there's, like, instruction happening. It's not just education. But

But there's a membership that we have together with one another. And so it's important for us to understand that. I like what John Wesley says about this. He says, I really like that.

No one goes to heaven alone, he says. You either need to find friends, that is, gather together with other believers, find other believers to gather with, or make friends, that is, bring people the gospel and share the gospel and allow them the opportunity to be saved, and then you can gather together with them. It's an essential part of us as believers in Jesus. It's a lot like being part of a family.

That we are united together, we're tied together in the church where God has planted us, in the church where God has placed us.

Just like you tied together and planted together with your family, the family that God has placed you in, you have a family of God. You have a church family that God has made you a part of. And it's not just, you know, you sit next to each other or you sit in the same room a couple times a week, but it's that really God has placed you in each other's lives and we are to be a part of each other's lives in that way. It's also a lot like being part of a team, right?

There's a lot of team illustrations and imagery that we could use to think about the church and being part of a local gathering of believers that is really helpful to understand what it's like as, you know, the different team members have their different roles and different parts and they do different things, but they all work together. They celebrate together. They, you know,

sorrow together, you know, whenever things happen and they don't have the victory. And so there's that team mentality. We're all in this together. And that's similar also to the church. You could also say it's like being part of

of a body. And the Apostle Paul uses that illustration to a great degree in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 to give that sense, to help us understand we are a body. We're members of one another. And that dependency that we have upon one another, we don't always recognize, we don't always realize. And again, especially in our culture, there's just that self-focus or focus on particular individuals that

can take away from what we need to also understand is we are also part of a body. We're integrated together and tied together, and really that's what being part of a church means. And so we're going to walk through five points.

Different things that the Lord highlighted as I was looking at the activities and things that were happening related to church here in this passage in Acts chapter 14. So the first point is in verse 21. What being part of a church means? It means that...

We will be making disciples. Look again at verse 21. It says, And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

Here it talks about them preaching the gospel. Now they're in Derby. They've kind of come to the end of their journey. So they've preached the gospel there. Now it's time to head back. But notice how it describes their ministry to that last town. It says, when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples.

And so there's two things happening here. They've preached the gospel. That is the declaration of the gospel. We talked about the gospel a lot a couple weeks ago as we saw Paul preach the gospel in chapter 13. And so that message was basic elements of the gospel. And you can go back and listen to that. I would encourage you to do that if you need some brush-ups on what the gospel is. But they brought forth the gospel message, but there's more to evangelism than just

Bringing forth the gospel, just declaring Jesus loves you, just declaring what Christ has done upon the cross. That's preaching the gospel. But then they went to the next step, which is an essential part of evangelism. And it says that they made many disciples.

And so it's not just people who have accepted Jesus or heard about Jesus or believed that Jesus died upon the cross, but now they've become disciples of Jesus. And there's a difference between hearing the gospel and even really believing the gospel and then becoming a disciple of Jesus. The word disciple, it means to follow the precepts and instructions of a teacher, right?

And so the idea is that of a teacher and a learner or a disciple, but it's not just educational. It's putting into practice the things that are taught and taking on the lifestyle and the character of the teacher.

The Greek scholar Spiros Dodeades puts it this way. He says, And I think that really describes well what it is that we're called to as being disciples, but also it makes clear what we're called to do in making disciples. We are to help people attach to Jesus, right?

Be attached to Jesus to become his follower in doctrine and conduct. That is the focus of making disciples.

As Paul and Barnabas are out there, that's what they're doing. That's what the church is called to do. We're called to preach the gospel, and there are those who, you know, are especially gifted to preach the gospel. That's their full-time ministry. There are those who are called to make disciples in a unique way that they're really equipped by the Lord to be incredibly effective at that. And yet, we also know that we are all called to make disciples.

Disciples of Jesus are called to make disciples. And we can see that so clearly in the Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28. This is a passage we're familiar with, but it's worth repeating and reviewing because it is something that we are called to. Chapter 28 of Matthew verse 19 says, "...go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

And so Jesus says to his disciples before he ascends to heaven, go make disciples. Disciples, go make disciples. Those who follow Jesus are going to be those who help others to learn to follow Jesus. And so he says, go make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But notice what he says in verse 20.

He says, Again, this is an essential element of being a disciple. It's not just learn the information that Jesus spoke or shared or learn information about his life, learn some good Bible trivia about the life of Jesus, but it's teach them to observe, teach them to obey, teach them to put into practice the things that I have commanded.

So teach them to live the life that Christ has called us to live. That's what it means to make disciples. And that is a commission for all of us. One of the ways that you can tell it's for all of us is at the end of verse 20. He says, I'll be with you to the end of the age.

He wasn't just talking to those few guys and gals who were there on the Mount of Olives before he ascended. He wasn't just talking to a small group of people. He was talking to all believers until the end of the age, go make disciples.

Teach them to put into practice. Teach them to take the word of God and live it out. Teach them to take the doctrine of Jesus, to become more like Jesus, to learn to be attached to Jesus, and to live out his life and demonstration of his love to the world around us. And so if you're going to be part of a church, you need to understand this is going to be your mission. This is your commission as well, that we together collectively are to be engaged in making disciples.

And so I would ask you to consider, are you part of a church? And you might say, well, I attend a church, but are you part of a church? Are you part of the making of disciples? What's your role? And how are you, you know, affecting the church as far as making disciples? And that happens, you know, to some degree through the teaching, you know, in this kind of scenario.

but to a greater degree, I would suggest it happens as we minister to one another and meet to one another and spend time with each other off church property and other times and encourage each other throughout the week that we can be reaching out to those who are new believers, reaching out to those who are unbelievers, sharing the gospel, and then teaching them to really turn their life to follow Jesus and to put his teachings and truths into practice.

So being part of a church means making disciples. Secondly, we'll look at verse 22. Here we have the next thing, and that is strengthening disciples. Here's what it means to be part of a church. It means that you're going to be engaged in strengthening disciples. So the first point is really about new believers, unbelievers, bringing people into the family of God and helping them learn to walk with God.

But then we also, as part of a church, we're gathered together with others who are already disciples. Others who have been walking with the Lord. Sometimes maybe they've been walking with the Lord for much more time than you. And yet we have a responsibility in each other's lives to strengthen one another. And that's something very clear throughout the scriptures. Verse 22 says,

It says, Here is they are heading back. Paul and Barnabas, they're going from town to town to town. They've got a different mission than their, you know, initially the first phase of this trip. They were going to places where the gospel had not been. But now as they're going back, they're retracing their steps on purpose.

And they're going to visit all the towns that they went to, all the cities that they went to. And there are believers there because, well, they've already gone through and preached the gospel. And so now as they go back, their focus is on connecting with those believers and strengthening them.

Now, I mentioned earlier, Paul and Barnabas were driven out of town to town to town as they were going forth and preaching the gospel. And so you can understand there was some opposition to Christianity, opposition to the Christians. And so they would need this strengthening. And so Paul exhorts them to continue in the faith. Don't give up. We know it's hard. We know it's difficult. We know it's not popular, but continue. And so he's building them up and saying, press on, persevere. You can do this.

And he concludes by saying in verse 22, we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. It's going to be difficult. Don't be surprised that it gets difficult. Don't be surprised that there are troubles and difficulties and attacks and opposition.

It's through tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God. Not that those tribulations save us, but that it's inevitable. Between us and the kingdom of God is this life, which will have many tribulations. Jesus promised that as well in John chapter 16. And so we need to know there are tribulations. We're going to have to endure tribulations.

But what's interesting about this is that they came alongside them to strengthen them, to help them endure and persevere through those tribulations. And that is something that all of us are called to do as members of the body of Christ, as members of a church. To be part of a church means you're going to come alongside of others to

who have tribulations, who have difficulties, and you're going to strengthen their soul, and you're going to encourage them to continue in the faith, and you're going to remind them, yes, there are difficulties, but we're entering into the kingdom of God, and we are called to help each other through the difficulties that we face in this life.

Consider what the author of Hebrews said in Hebrews chapter 10. He says in verse 24, Here the author of Hebrews says, what we need to do is we need to be considering one another.

We need to be thinking about one another, how we can stir up love and good works. And then he says in verse 25, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. We're not to neglect this gathering together.

Part of the Christian life is that we gather together. Again, we're part of a team. We're part of a family. We're part of a church, part of a body. Now, you could talk about the universal church. You could talk about, you know, the body of Christ, all believers, you know, throughout the world of all time. But the scripture is also very clear about a local gathering of believers being the body of Christ. And we are a body. And there needs to be a priority on us.

He says it's the manner of some. Now, what we need to know, though, is that this is not meant to be a law that, you know, okay, just add this to your to-do list, and then you're good to go.

If you're going to be a good Christian, you know, to-do list. You got to read the Bible, you have to pray, and you have to go to church. That's not what this verse is all about at all, actually. This verse is not just a rule. You have to come to church, so make sure, you know, you do that and don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Really, the emphasis is on the latter half of verse 25. Check it out. He says, "...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another."

and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Notice what he says. Instead of forsaking or neglecting the assembling of ourselves together, instead of that, do an about face and exhort one another. You see, what it's not, it's not a rule. It's a mission that he's giving us here. He's not giving us a law. If you're going to be a good Christian, you have to do this. He's giving us a mission. Here's the way to approach assembling together and attending church together.

Instead of neglecting gathering together, gather together to exhort one another. In other words, come to church to exhort other people. Now, I know how it is, especially like on a Wednesday night, you know, you kind of come in, you're kind of beat up. It's like, I'm empty. I need to be refilled. And we can come just wanting our own needs to be met, wanting ministry to happen to us, wanting ministry to take place for us, but we can't come to church to exhort other people.

But here the author of Hebrews says, look, to not neglect the assembling of ourselves together means that you will intentionally come and gather together with this mission of, I'm going to go minister. I'm going to encourage. I'm going to build up someone else.

And that's something that we want to continue to emphasize and encourage within the body of Christ. Now, for many years, you might recognize this slide. We had the time on Wednesday evenings where we would minister to one another in a closing time of worship.

And when we started the book of Acts, the Lord was speaking to me about that. And I know it's something he wants to reincorporate into our services. And as we've gone through the book of Acts, he's kind of been building us up and teaching us about the Holy Spirit and teaching us about ministry and teaching us about the church. And I believe that now it's time for us to return to that time of really reserving some time at the end of service for us to pray for one another, to encourage one another, to share scriptures together.

And so I want to encourage you, especially, well, not just especially, but on Wednesday nights, when you come, come expecting, come anticipating, come with a mission of exhorting one another. And be prepared. Know that there will be time, there will be opportunity for us to pray for each other, to encourage each other,

Now, that's not reserved only for Wednesdays. That's for Sundays. And, you know, he goes on to say, so much the more as you see the day approaching there in Hebrews 10. So, you know, it's throughout the week. It's many times we are to be gathering together and joining together as believers in order to encourage, build up, and help each other through the difficulties and things that we face in this life. Consider also what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14.

He says in verse 1, And so Paul says, Pursue love.

That's loving one another as believers. Pursue that. Have it be an intentional thing. Again, gather together out of your love for one another. And he says, as you gather together, as you pursue this love, desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you would prophesy. Have a fervent desire. Be asking God, Lord, would you please give me spiritual gifts? Why? Why?

So that I could show off and, you know, be a star and have everybody ooh and ah because of my great gifting? No, no, no. Because you're pursuing love.

For the benefit of the other people that I'm gathering with, Lord, would you give me spiritual gifts that I would be able to minister to them? That is to be the heart as we gather together, that we would come not just to sit and be fed and be encouraged and built up and leave, but that we would have a part in ministering to others and imparting to others spiritual gifts. He says, especially that you may prophesy. And then in verse three, he explains why.

He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. To prophesy is just to speak forth on behalf of the Lord. And so it doesn't have to be a formal, thus says the Lord, you know, Old Testament prophet style, but it can be a simple encouragement. In fact, many times I would suggest we prophesy when we share simple things that God is showing to us, and maybe even it's less meaningful to us than it is to the one that we're sharing with. But

God uses us to speak forth his word and his encouragement, his comfort, his edification to the people that we are talking with. And being part of a church means that you show up because you love one another, that you show up with the intention of, I want to minister to others. I want to encourage and help you get through the things that you're going through.

I would encourage you to make it your goal. Strengthen someone every time you come to church. Every time you show up on this property. Every time we gather together. Make it your goal to strengthen someone. Pray for them. Minister to them in some way. Share some scriptures with them. Even if it's just, you know, some simple truth that the Lord showed you that you've been thinking about this week. Do that. Strengthen one another. It is to be part of us as members of the body of Christ.

Now, a lot of times we come and we're hurting and we're empty and we don't feel like we have much to offer. And I would encourage you in this, that that is often how a lot of us feel. But it's in the giving out and in that desire and calling out to the Lord to minister to others that

many times that's when God meets our needs. And so sometimes we get so focused up on our problems and our own conditions and issues, and so we don't reach out. And so our problems are never resolved, and our prayers are never answered, and the things that we're going through, you know, we don't get what we need. But when we give, and when we put others first and love one another and ask God for us to help in ministering to others,

Many times it's in that process, it's in that act, that God also meets our need and that he answers our questions, he gives us direction, and he helps us find what he is calling us and what we need for that situation. And so being part of a church means that you will be strengthening disciples, that you will show up

to encourage, to exhort, to comfort one another. And so I would ask you again, are you part of a church? Now, if you just drive in, you walk in during worship, you sit through service, and then you walk out and you never encourage anybody, I would suggest you're not really part of a church. You attend a service, but you're not a member of the body in that way. And we need to engage with one another. Don't forsake church.

the gathering. Being part of a church means that you show up desiring to bring forth edification, exhortation, and comfort from the Lord. So make it your goal. Strengthen someone every time you come to church, every time you gather together with believers.

Well, thirdly, being part of a church means that we will be developing leaders. Verse 23, it says, As they were going from place to place to place on their way back to their home church,

Now it's interesting. This is a very interesting passage because, well, here's you think about it. These elders, so-called elders, were probably only a few months old in the Lord because they've just been saved as Paul and Barnabas were on their way through this area the first time.

And so again, the whole mission trip probably took no more than two years. And so, you know, maybe they were six months old in the Lord and maybe a little bit less, maybe a little bit more, but they're essentially very young in the faith, very young in walking with the Lord. And yet as Paul and Barnabas are heading back, they are appointing elders. They're appointing people to lead those congregations in the different cities, right?

And that is something that God really does. He ordains people to lead. Now, it is God who ordains. It's God who appoints who is called to lead. What Paul and Barnabas are doing, which is the same thing that we do today, is all we can do is recognize God's anointing on a person and God's call in their life to lead and to be part of the church in that way. And so God ordains people to lead. But

But let me emphasize one part of that. God ordains people to lead. And people are people. And people, the people that God ordains are not perfect. Now, of course, we know that. You know, intellectually, we know that. But sometimes we have this expectation of perfection on people that are leading. And that's not the kind of people that God chooses. God doesn't choose perfect people. Now, if he could find some perfect people, he might choose them. But

He chooses people who are not perfect because people are not perfect. And so there's going to be mistakes. Now, I would also say it this way. The people that God ordains are not completed.

They're not fully developed. We talked about that in chapter 13 as we saw the transition happen from Saul of Tarsus to the apostle Paul and how he, you know, when they started out, wasn't leading, but then through the process of ministry, God made it clear. And so now Paul is leading the mission trip. And there was this change that took place, this transformation that happened as the work was going on.

And that is the way that God works with even leaders of his people. They're not ready to lead when they begin to lead, but they're ordained by God to lead. And it's through the process of leading that they learn how to lead. It's through the process of being an elder. It's through the process of ministering that they learn how to minister. But in the meantime, while they're beginning, while they're starting, they still need instruction.

Just like these elders that were appointed, they were going to need some time to continue to learn the ways of the Lord, to learn the doctrine of the Lord. They need instruction. They need time. They need practice. They need to make mistakes and learn from them. They are going to be developed as elders as they're in the process of being elders.

And so this is something that we are going to be involved in as members of a church, as being part of a church. We're going to be developing leaders. And what that means really for us is being patient with those who are growing in leadership and giving people opportunity to lead. Now, this is one of the reasons why when I'm away, I prefer to schedule one of our guys to teach.

Now, yes, I could reach out to other pastors and friends, and I could make some connections and get some, you know, kind of well-known people here, and everybody would be really excited about that, and that would be great. And, you know, that I'm sure would be encouraging to a lot of people. But at the same time, I see it as a responsibility. I need to schedule others to teach from here in order to help develop them and give them opportunity because they're going to need practice. Listen,

You don't become good at teaching until you've taught hundreds of times, even though you're called and anointed from the very beginning, and that's evident from the very beginning. It's not that, you know, it has to be hurtful, but God is developing you as a teacher to

as you teach and while you teach and after many, many, many, many, many opportunities to teach, then he's through that shaping you and teaching you how to teach and how to be you as a teacher. And there's so much that goes into that. And I don't want to get sidetracked on that, but

but it's through the process of practice. It's through the process of messing up and trying again and having the time and the opportunity and over and over. And I see that as a big responsibility that we have. We need to develop our leaders. And if we don't give people opportunity to teach, then there will be needs to teach and we won't have people developed to teach, ready to teach, prepared to teach because they haven't been given opportunity to teach.

And you could say that in other aspects of leadership as well. There needs to be that opportunity that's given. And that means, though, that there's going to be patience with those who are still developing.

You know, it would be easy for you to perhaps sit there and hear me lead worship and think, wow, you know, I could do better than that. And you maybe could, but hey, I need the practice. And so sometimes when we are, you know, developing a worship leader or worship leaders being developed, that means we're going to have to learn how to worship and

the best refinement in our worship leaders because, well, the refining is going to happen as they practice leading worship many, many times. I remember one particular guy, I encouraged him to lead worship on a Sunday evening and

Afterwards, Pastor Tom said, ah, you know, you probably don't want him to lead worship anymore. And Tom and I had a discussion about it. And we were like, no, no, no. God's really called him and anointed him. And I was encouraging him. He's really nervous. It was his first time. And so, you know, we continued to encourage him and build him up and give him opportunity. And his name is Royce. And he is an awesome worship leader. But there was that time, you know, the first time out.

first few times out, you know, weren't stellar. But as God developed through the process of time, and as we sat through and allowed him, you know, to lead us in worship, and similarly with teachers. Teachers are not typically super awesome the first time out or the hundredth time out. It takes time. Now, it doesn't mean that there's not ministry happening and God works in the

if we're just expecting, you know, the best and perfection, well, we're not going to be developing leaders. And so there's a patience part of it on our part. There's also another aspect of developing leaders. I would ask you to consider from Acts chapter 18. And here we have the example of, uh,

Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple, who sees this guy Apollos. And Apollos has been taught from the baptism of John. That's the doctrine that he knew. And he's out preaching the baptism of John. He's out preaching the doctrine of John the Baptist.

And so it says here in Acts chapter 18, verse 26, so he, that's Apollos, began speaking boldly in the synagogue. And when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And so here we have this couple who sees this guy, Apollos, clearly he's anointed, clearly he's ordained by God, he's called by God, he's gifted in teaching and preaching, but he just doesn't have all the information. And so they

What do they do? Well, they walk away and they complain about it to each other and to other people about how, man, if only he, you know, had better insight into the things of God. No, no, no. He didn't, they didn't do that. Instead, they pulled him aside privately and said, hey, clearly, Apollos, you're anointed, you're gifted, you're

And we need to, you know, help you further understand the way of God so that you can use that gifting, that calling of God that he has placed in your life. And I want to encourage you, especially those of you who've been around for a while, you have full authority from the Lord to do that, to bring someone aside and not just walk away and complain about them or talk about others, you know, but help them. It's part of our responsibility. It's not just up to me or the board or, you know, some other people.

Us as a church, us as a body, it's our responsibility to develop our leaders. And so when there is the need for further instruction, for a little bit further, you know, insight from the Word of God, or a little bit more accuracy in something, feel free, you know, to pull someone aside and encourage them and build them up and help them understand the way of God more accurately.

And so we, as members of the body, as members of the church, are called to develop leaders. It's our responsibility to develop our leaders. If we don't have good leaders, it's our responsibility to develop our leaders.

it's because we have neglected developing leaders. It's our responsibility, and so we need to be engaged in that. And that means that we strengthen those that God has called to lead. Going back to the second point, strengthening disciples also includes strengthening our leaders. And I would really encourage you in that because many times we think about our leaders, and they're the ones who strengthen others. We can think of them as those who don't need to be strengthened.

But we do need to be strengthened and leaders do need strength.

other members of the body to encourage them, to pray for them, to build them up. And I would encourage you to do that. You want to see me grow? You want to see me become better as a pastor, more influential, more impactful? You want to see me become more wise and more loving and caring? Then strengthen those that God has called to lead and pour into and build up and help in that way. That's what we're called to do with one another. But also instruct those that God has called to lead.

and be willing to pull aside and to give a little bit more accuracy to the ways of God. But then also I would say to develop leaders, we need to submit to those that God has called to lead.

submit to those that God has called to lead. Now that might be a little bit difficult given all the other things I've said. You know, well, they're not ready to lead when they start to lead and they're not perfect. They're not complete. They don't have all the information. But at the same time, when God raises up people and has ordained people to lead, we need to be submitted to them. And submitting to leaders is part of developing leaders, right?

Now, here's what often happens is we see leading that's happening and we disagree. We don't think it's the best thing. And so we refuse to follow. But let me encourage you in this. Part of a leader understanding their responsibility and understanding what their call is and their need to hear from the Lord and do what God says and all of that, part of that comes from people following their lead.

And that can be hard for us because, of course, we know better and we could do it better and all of that. But, you know, letting people lead, even make mistakes in their leadership, in their eldership, is part of what helps them to understand what it is that God has called them to. This may sound a little bit weird, but for me, I would say this. People who do what I say cause me to seek the Lord for direction more than people who refuse. Right?

People who do what I say, because I know, well, if I encourage the body to go through the Bible in three years together with us, I know there's going to be people who respond to that and do that with us. And so that for me causes me to be making sure this is from the Lord. This is what God is saying for us as a body. This is the direction God wants us to be. If I was expecting that nobody was going to listen, there's no consequences. There's no need for me to seek the Lord that much.

I know that sounds terrible, but this is just part of the reality of leading, okay? If nobody's going to follow, it doesn't matter what I say. And there's less burden. There's less consequences. There's less intensity to it. But knowing that people will follow causes me to seek the Lord to a much greater degree. Because, well, I've learned when I make mistakes, God lets people suffer.

And so I have to be seeking the Lord because I don't want to let people suffer. I don't want to cause people suffering. I want to be seeking the Lord and hearing from the Lord and walking with him so that when I'm leading, that it's helpful and beneficial to the body and not hurtful and harmful. But part of that for me came through the process of understanding and learning that, well, when I don't seek the Lord or when I haven't heard from the Lord or when I'm going the wrong direction or making mistakes, that other people suffer, right?

And so submitting to leaders is part of developing those leaders, giving them that opportunity to lead, giving that opportunity to make mistakes and see the consequences for those mistakes is part of developing them. And so loving our leaders and being patient with our leaders is part of developing them. And so again, I would suggest or ask you to consider, are you part of a church? Not just, you know, complaining and griping about leadership, but lovingly, you know, supporting them, instructing them,

building them up, strengthening them, and being patient with their, you know, styles and mistakes and the things that they make as God develops them into the leader that God has called them to be. Well, point number four now, as we continue on, is trusting the Lord. In verse 23, it says, "'So when they had appointed elders in every church "'and prayed with fasting, "'they commended them to the Lord "'in whom they had believed.'"

I think this is an interesting portion as well, because again, here's Paul and Barnabas going from church to church to church as they go make their way back through all the cities. And they've appointed these leaders now. And then now they commend this church to the Lord. The word commend, it means to make a deposit, to entrust or to commit to one's charge.

So if you go make a deposit at the bank, you're committing that money to the bank's charge. And you're saying, okay, I trust you. You're going to handle this money. You're going to keep it. So when I come back for it, it'll be there. And, you know, perhaps you're going to invest it. You're going to, you know, put it to work and there'll be some interest on top of it. There's that kind of idea. That's the deposit. And here, as they're making their way back, they're depositing these congregations' money.

to the Lord. They're entrusting them to the Lord and saying, okay, you guys are young. You're brand new believers. You don't have strong leadership. You don't know much about the Lord. You don't know much about faith. You don't have experience. There's going to be opposition. There's going to be persecution. There's going to be lots of difficulties, but God is able to bring you through all those things. We're entrusting you to the Lord.

And so they appointed elders and they entrusted those churches to the Lord. Paul the apostle was not called to stay there and pastor those churches. He was qualified to.

And if he did, he would have probably done, you know, an incredible job because he was incredibly anointed and gifted. And yet that was not God's call in his life. He was on his way back to his home church back at Antioch. That's where he belonged. And so he was going back there. He wasn't called to stay there. And Barnabas was not called to stay there and pastor those churches. He wasn't called to stay there and, you know, lead those congregations, right?

They had the responsibility to lead themselves, to trust in the Lord themselves, to find direction, to find support, to find provision, to be calling out to God themselves. When God established a church, he didn't establish a massive organization.

So Paul and Barnabas, as they went through, they didn't say, okay, every month we're going to send you a packet. We're going to give you, you know, what you're supposed to teach that week or each week. And we're going to give you the direction and evangelism, you know, directions and outreach equipment. And, you know, we're going to give you all these things. It's a massive organization. Wait for us before you do anything. You know, that's not what God established.

What God established as a church, and each church is responsible for seeking the Lord and for finding the direction from God for their congregation, for their gathering of believers.

Each church is responsible to obey the Lord and respond as God is leading and speaking and directing the church. Each church is to be dependent upon the Lord because there are going to be difficulties and trials and lacks and insufficiencies. And so we must be relying upon the Lord together as a body, as members of the church. And

That's one of the things that we love about Calvary Chapel. It's a good balance. We get the fellowship and association with other pastors and like-minded ministers, like-minded churches, but there's not the hierarchy which dictates, well, here's what you have to teach. Here's what you have to do.

There's also some risk in that, though. Other church structures, you know, they provide, well, okay, well, you're in financial straits. Okay, well, we'll provide for you. We'll help kind of cover those gaps until we get things back in order. Oh, you're missing a pastor? Oh, you know, we'll send another pastor to take over that pulpit and to fill that spot for you. You know, there's that kind of oversight, but

But that's not the model that we see here in the book of Acts, that there's individual churches and they're responsible to call out to the Lord, to rely upon the Lord, to hear from the Lord, to follow the Lord. And that is our job collectively as a body here, that we are called together to seek the Lord. It's not just, you know, up to me. So coming up in October is Halloween. Typically we do the light the night event out in the parking lot.

I don't know if God wants us to do that. And in the capacity that I have now, you know, in working outside as well as working here at the church, I don't know that I can, you know, run that or be part of that in the way that I have been in years past. And I don't know if that's what God wants. We need to collectively be seeking the word. Well, does God want us to do that? And how does God want us to do that? And if he doesn't want us to do that, does he want us to do something else? That's up to, you know,

this body, this church to be seeking the Lord, trusting the Lord for his leading. You know, there's challenges that we face and there's financial things that we face and that kind of stuff as a church as well. And so we need to be trusting the Lord together as a church. If we survive as a church, it's up to us. It's not up to me. It's not up to the board. It's up to us. We work together to hear from the Lord to go forward. And so I would encourage you to consider what is the Lord saying to us?

Well, finally, point number five here in verses 26 through 28, sharing the fruits.

What being part of a church means is that we get to share the fruits of the work that we are doing together. Verse 26 says, from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. Now, when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with Antioch.

the disciples. Here in Paul and Barnabas get back to their home church. Now I keep using that phrase home church. It's not a biblical phrase, but it's a biblical concept. Even as we see here in this passage, even aside from other scriptures that we could turn to, they're going back to the church that sent them out. It

It's their home church where they're plugged in. And so that's why in verse 28, it says they stayed there a long time with the disciples because that's what they were called to be was there at that church. And so they were missionaries. They were sent out, but they came back. That was their home church.

Again, being part of a church is a lot like being part of a family. We have this unity, these ties to one another, and it's where God has placed us and called us to be part of other members in the body of Christ. Again, it's a lot like being part of a team. And so you might have things that you do and things that you go, but you come back and you re-engage with the team that God has called you to be part of. It's a lot like being part of a body. But what they do when they come back is,

in verse 27 is interesting. It says, they gathered the church together and they reported all that God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So when they get back home, what did they do? They gathered the church together and they report all that God had done. Now, what is going on here? Why are they doing this?

Well, I would suggest to you that they're doing this because the church that they've gathered together, they're saying, you guys, you are part of this work that we've done. You sent us out. You helped provide for us. You helped call us out. You helped send us out. The Holy Spirit, you know, prompted you. You laid hands on us and sent us out. You're our home church. We went out, represented you, and did all this work. And now we've come back, and we want you to know the fruits of

of that ministry because you're partakers of that fruit. You get to participate in the work that has been done or the reward for the work that has been done. This principle is established. We could see one good example in 1 Samuel 30, verse 24, where David...

speaks to his men where there was a time where his men were split and half of his soldiers stayed with their stuff and guarded the stuff while the other half went forward and conquered the enemy. And there was great spoils and there was, well, they had been robbed and anyways, it's a long story. But anyways, so the soldiers come back from that victory and the soldiers who went to battle said, hey,

You guys who stayed back, you don't get any of the reward. We're going to keep all the stuff. You know, you can just have your wives and your children back. That's it. And David said, no. He says, who will heed you in this matter? For as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies. They shall share alike. And so David demonstrates this principle here. No, when there are people who go forward and people who stay back,

They share the same reward, even though they did different things. And when missionaries are sent out, it's a similar principle. We may not, you know, go to Japan or China or Africa or something like that. But when we send out, when we're part of strengthening the disciples and building them up and providing for them to go and helping them, you know, accomplish what God has set before them, we also get to participate in the reward, in the fruit of that.

That's something that Jesus taught also in Matthew chapter 10, verse 41. He said, he who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And the idea here is that, well, if you receive a prophet, you support and host and help a prophet. He goes on to say the same thing about a righteous man. You receive that person's reward. You get to participate in that. You get a share in that reward, right?

That's what Paul wrote to the churches also that supported him, the church of Philippi. Hey, he says, I'm not just out for the money, but I'm out for your reward because you get to participate then because you're part of the work that's going on. And so being part of a church means that we share the fruits of what we accomplish as a church and

We share the fruits of what we accomplish individually, you know, as we have our different ministries and different encounters in the world around us, that we are together and we get to share in the rewards of what comes out of us being members together of the body of Christ. And so Paul and Barnabas gather them back together and they report all that God has done because you're part of it.

Now, that's one of the reasons why we like to give our missionaries opportunity to share when they come back into town, because we're part of it. They came from us. We're the home church, right? And the Lord sent them out from here, and we pray for them on Wednesday nights, and hopefully you pray for them throughout the week as well. And we have the missionary of the months that we, you know, especially pray for. And so we're part of the work that God is doing there, and

And so we let them give opportunity to report because, well, we get to share in the rewards. We get to share in the fruits of the work that God is doing through them. But also I would ask you to consider it this way. You know, we have the missionaries that God has sent out. They've moved to other countries, all that. And yet at the same time, you are called to the same thing. And you could look at it this way. You have a weekly mission trip.

And it starts on Monday morning. And you go out into the mission field that God has called you to. And there is the appropriateness of you coming back and reporting, hey, this is what God is doing on my mission field. This is what God is doing in those that he's placed around me. And maybe it's, please

Please pray for these people and these things that are happening. Or maybe it's, hey, praise the Lord. I got to share the gospel. I got to have the opportunity to invite people to, you know, receive the gospel. Or I got to encourage somebody or pray for somebody. And the reporting of that is good because we're part of one another. And we share the fruits together of the work that is happening in our lives and in our missionary endeavors.

And so I'd like to take this moment to remind you, we have a prayer list. It's an email prayer list, and you can send an email at any time to prayer at cclivingwater.com. And that goes to the prayer list. And if you'd like to be part of it, you can sign up on the website or see me later and I'll help you get signed up. But that goes out and...

i can't speak for everybody on the prayer list but i i stop and pray when those come through and and so i would encourage you you're you're part of a church you're part of a body and we we rejoice together now the other side of this not only do we share the fruits but we also share the sorrows and so when you're going through struggles then i would encourage you to send out a prayer

a request for prayer, because you're part of a team. You're part of a family. You're part of a body. Paul says, we rejoice together. We sorrow together. That's what we do as members of one another. And so when there's struggles in your life, or when there's struggles in, you know, the places where you're ministering, or the places where you're representing Christ, then send forth that prayer. But also, are there victories? Well, then share the praise. And many times,

you know, there's urgency for prayer. And so we send forth the prayer requests, but we never follow up with the praise report of what God did. And that's not a rebuke, but that's just a gentle encouragement. Like, hey, we need to be better about that. It's less urgent because, okay, the crisis is averted. So, you know, it's...

It's not upon our minds and hearts the same way, but I would encourage you, try to do that. Try to remember when you send forth the prayer request, send the follow-up with, this is what God did. This is how God responded, and that we get to rejoice in that together. And so other praise reports, you're just excited about something that God has done. I would encourage you to share that with us.

Did God give you an opportunity to minister? You know, as we wear our prayer shirts and give people opportunity or even without the shirt, we just have opportunity to pray for people, to minister to people, to encourage people. I would encourage you to share that. And I've been encouraging that for a long time. I know it's a little bit weird in our minds. We think, well, am I boasting? You know, if I tell people I got to share the gospel, am I promoting myself or just proud in that? But I would encourage you to just get over all that.

and recognize you're part of a team. When someone on a basketball team is given the ball and they shoot and the whole team celebrates, that's the picture. When you're given the opportunity to share the gospel, give the whole team an opportunity to celebrate.

Let us know. We're part of that fruit. We're part of the work that's going on and vice versa in our lives as well. And so when you give, when you get those opportunities to pray for someone, to encourage someone, to minister to someone, it's cause for celebration because you're part of a team and we want to be part of that. And so it's appropriate for you to gather the church together and

And so maybe sometimes when we share praise reports and prayer requests, that's things that you can share, or also you can send an email and share it in that way and gather us together and help us to know some of the fruits or some of the struggles or some of the battles, you know, that we're going through as members of the body of Christ. And so what being part of a church means is that we get to share the fruits.

And so I would encourage us to be part of a church. God has called us not to be independent, isolated Christians.

but to be gathered together with a local gathering of believers, joined together, engaging in ministry together, making disciples, strengthening disciples, developing leaders, trusting the Lord, and we all share in the fruits of that. This is not the responsibility of a select few. This is a responsibility of everyone who God has called together to be part of a local gathering of believers. So make it your goal. Strengthen someone every time you come to church.

Help in the development of leaders. Strengthen those that God has called to lead. Bring in unbelievers. Bring in new believers and help build them up and teach them how to obey the Lord. Join with us in seeking the Lord for direction, for what God wants this church, this gathering of believers to be doing and to be engaged in.

Let's join together in a way that we can share the fruits, share the struggles, share the sorrows. We're part of each other's lives. We're part of what God wants to do in this place. And so again, John Wesley says, no man ever went to heaven alone. He must either find friends or make them. Let's be friends. Let's join together in the work that God has called us to.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.