Going Global 2.0

Tom Shrader walks through Acts 13:1-12, the pivotal chapter where the early church at Antioch sends Barnabas and Saul on the first missionary journey, showing how the Holy Spirit directs real, ordinary people into God's redemptive work. He emphasizes the diverse makeup of the Antioch church and the sovereign power of God at work through human obedience, including the dramatic confrontation with the sorcerer Elymas and the conversion of Sergius Paulus. Shrader closes by pressing listeners to see themselves as missionaries in their everyday contexts — at work, at home, and in their neighborhoods — motivated not by duty but by the love of Christ.

“Witnessing isn't optional, it's not mandatory, it's inevitable. You're a witness right now.”

— Tom Shrader

Series: Acts

Recorded: 2017 at East Valley Bible Church

Duration: 35 min

Themes: missions, evangelism, holy spirit, obedience, calling, everyday missionary, church diversity, god's sovereignty, feeling called to missions, unsure of purpose, new believer, workplace witness, neighbor outreach, young adult, questioning faith, struggling with obedience

Scripture: Acts 12:23-25, Acts 13:1-12, Acts 1:8, Romans 1, 2 Corinthians 5, 2 Timothy 4:9, James 2

Theological Themes: missiology, pneumatology, holy spirit's guidance, ecclesiology, acts of the apostles, redemptive history, spiritual authority, divine sovereignty

Full Transcript

God Uses Real People in Real Places for Real Impact

Open your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 12, the very end of chapter 12. The title of the book is The Acts of the Apostles, and there is a sense when you turn to the end of chapter 28, you read it, and the book just sort of ends. That has prompted people to suggest that there is a sense in which we are still writing the book of Acts. The Acts, the movement of God as He expands the church, continues today.

As we look at this story, I want to take however long we need to understand what is happening, and then bring it right forward into our life today. We pick up the story in chapter 12, verse 23, looking at Herod: "Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him." What we are seeing here is something supernatural. God is moving, and He struck him down.

Here is why: because he did not give glory to God. It is the same thing we see laid out in Romans chapter 1, where Paul said that the wrath of God is being poured out on those who, even though God is evident through creation, did not give Him thanks and did not give Him glory. That may be you here today. You may be one of those people who just had communion, passed the elements by, and said, "I am not a follower of Christ." As you pass that element by, you are saying, in essence, no thank you to God, no thank you to His glory.

I am not suggesting that you are going to be struck down and eaten by worms. But I am suggesting that you have pitted yourself as an enemy of God, and there is consequence to that. That is Herod's demise. That is where we left off in the story.

The Word Continues to Grow

Verse 24 says, "The Word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied." That is what God has done from the very beginning, and the restoration part of redemption and restoration continues today. What I want you to see — and hopefully we will agree by the end of this lesson — is that you are part of that. We need to understand that God is at work. God struck down, and the Lord continues to grow.

I am old, and I have concluded this by two things. One, the calendar. Two, I have a mirror. But the other way I know I am old is that I have started doing what old people do. I get up early, sit in a chair, turn on the TV, and check the weather on channels 3 and 10. I compare the two forecasters to see who is right, because one will say 109 and the other will say 108, and I want to know who I can trust. Then I go check if there are any hummingbirds at the feeder. After that, I turn on the news, and within five minutes there is a bombing, or a flight incident, or a hit and run, or a shooting, and I find myself thinking that things are out of control.

But I have to remember this: God is in control. It is the same in the church and the body of Christ. The growth will continue because He will cause it to grow. He will cause it to multiply. What I am suggesting is that He invites you — not into your story, but into His story, into what He is doing.

Verse 25 tells us that Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, where they fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who is also called Mark. As we saw in Acts chapter 11, they were sent by the church at Antioch to the church at Jerusalem to bring financial aid and support. They are now returning back to Antioch.

Entering Chapter 13

My assignment today is chapter 13, verses 1 through 12. I was walking out of the offices on Tuesday when Tim stopped me by the back door and asked if I was ready for Sunday. I told him it was Tuesday and I would be ready Sunday morning. He offered me an outline, and it was this: God uses real people in real places for real impact.

I emphasize the word real. These are not make-believe stories. They are not fables. They are not fairy tales. These are real people. We tend — and this will be our instinct as we read — to elevate them and try to make them into something extraordinary. But by and large, they are pretty ordinary people who become extraordinary as the Spirit of God infuses them and they obey.

What I want to do — more than suggest, I want to plead — is that you understand you are a real person in real places that God will use for real impact. I want you to look at this story and Photoshop yourself into it. Try to see, feel, and touch what they experience, and then ask, what does this mean to me?

A Turning Point in Acts

As we set up chapter 13, let me share insights from a couple of writers. James Boyce writes, "No matter how a person chooses to outline the book of Acts, it is evident that chapter 13 begins a new section." Another author writes that chapters 13, 14, and 15 begin the story of the mission to the "ends of the earth." Back in chapter 1, we received the mission key value of the entire book: "You will be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, to the remotest parts of the world." That is what is playing out in this chapter. It is a pivot point, the turn. Roy Stedman writes that the 13th chapter is the turning point.

The Hinge of History

This is a pivotal point in the book of Acts. It is what Winston Churchill would have called one of the hinges of history. It marks the beginning of the third phase of the Lord's great commission, and it is a key part of the narrative. Though we have 28 chapters in the book and we are at chapter 13, we are turning the corner. This is the part of the book that you are engaged in — the witnesses to the remotest parts of the earth. That is you.

The Church at Antioch

In chapter 13, verse 1, we are at the church at Antioch. In this church there are prophets and teachers — men using their gifts. Prophets and teachers, in a functional way, are very similar: they are proclaiming the word of God. Every time you have a good church, there is the proclamation of the word of God. This is what we hear all the time, and we have heard it from the beginning and continue to hear it today.

When somebody new walks into Gilbert, they will talk about different things they appreciate, but a common thread is: "You teach the word of God." People appreciate that chapter by chapter, they know where they are going. And that is exactly what is happening in Antioch.

Five Leaders

Luke, who is writing the book of Acts, identifies five men. There is Barnabas — we learn more about him elsewhere. His real name is Joseph, but he is called the son of encouragement, Barnabas. I do not know how he got that name, but let me pause and apply it.

You need people like Barnabas badly in your life. You never outgrow the need for encouragement, and you need to be an encourager. I am teaching in two weeks at Bethany Bible Church on the tongue and speech. The power of life and death is in the tongue. If you are a parent and you tell your child they are big, fat, and dumb, you are going to end up with a big, fat, dumb kid — or a sick overachiever, one of the two.

I am out of physical therapy and into strength training, though it is modified for people who are older — I am not doing P90X. The other day we were doing our warm-up work on the floor: the cat stretch, Superman, planking. I can plank for 60 seconds. I am closing in on the world record, which is eight hours and one minute. I have the minute part; I just do not have the eight. Then we did something called bird dog, where you are on all fours with one arm and the opposite leg extended for balance. Every 19 seconds, an elder in the United States goes to the emergency room as a result of a fall. Every 29 minutes, an elder dies because of a fall. I mention that just to cheer you up about what is coming.

Balance is a big deal, so there I am doing bird dog — left arm out, right leg back — and Shelly, who is leading us, says, "Everybody look at Tom. He is doing it perfectly." Not good, not great — perfectly. I will give you that in real time: she said, "Everybody look at Tom, he is doing it perfectly," and immediately I could feel that leg get longer and that arm get stronger. You need that. You need that.

A Diverse Community

Barnabas is part of this group. Then there is a man named Simeon, who was called Niger. In Greek the word means black, and there is reason to assume from the context that he was someone from Africa. There is also Lucius of Cyrene, about whom we do not know much. There is Manaen, about whom we learn a little — he had been with Herod the Tetrarch, probably raised with him, and was a man of some status and social standing. And there is Saul.

When we look at this church — and I do not know if it is Luke's intention in mentioning these five — we see a diverse group, racially and economically. That is the way God works. He brings together people. He is not a respecter of persons; He does not favor one color or one nationality over another. We can tend to make Jesus a very white, or at least a very American, Jesus. But He is working all over this world, and He tells us not to show favoritism either.

That is going to produce tension. I am teaching the book of James right now every Wednesday morning at seven o'clock in the commons, and we will be there through the end of June. As we look at the book of James — chronologically the first book written in the New Testament — James is already beginning to address tension within the church. He says they are showing favoritism, favoring one group of people over another. In a mixed, diverse group, there is always going to be tension and challenge.

That is why it is important to remember: we are all about diversity in terms of race and background and all those things, but not in terms of doctrine. The unification we have is in the person of Christ — all saved, all sinners saved and delivered by grace through faith.

Ministering, Fasting, and Listening

Verse 2 tells us that while they were ministering to the Lord, they were serving one another, but their audience was Jesus. They were not concerned about pleasing people but about pleasing Him. And they were fasting. As you see in verse 3, they are fasting and praying, and it seems they are not merely pleading with God but anticipating that God is going to do something. And He does.

It says in verse 2, "The Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" That immediately raises a question — at least for me, and I would assume for you as well. How did the Holy Spirit say it? Were they sitting in a room and they heard a voice saying, "Set apart for me"? Ray Stedman talks about the insistent unanimity in a group. He is not advocating for unanimity in every decision, but he seems to be saying that when you have prayed, when you have fasted, there is a moment when the Spirit moves in a gathered community with a shared sense of direction.

God's Sovereign Direction Through Common Sense

When you deliberate and everybody lands at the same spot, that could well be God working in the group. Twenty-six years ago, literally this time of the summer in 1991, there were a group of guys contemplating whether God might do something in a church in the East Valley. The result of that was East Valley Bible Church — Redemption Gilbert. If pushed, I would say God said do it, though I get nervous right there. What I would say is that there was an insistent unanimity — a group of guys who said, "We think, we look, and frankly, we're not going to suspend common sense at this point."

God works sovereignly, and yet He uses people to do it. You see in verse four that they're sent out by the Holy Spirit, and they went to Seleucia, and from there to Cyprus. Why Cyprus? The text doesn't say, but from a common sense perspective it seems that was God's intention. Barnabas is from there, and I can picture him and Saul sitting around saying, "Obviously God's doing something — where should we go?" Barnabas may well have said, "I know a bunch of people in Cyprus. We could get started there. I know where we could stay, or guys who could make introductions." The text doesn't tell us that, but they sailed.

John Mark: Failure Is Not Final

They reached Cyprus, proclaimed the word of God, and went to the synagogue — that's where Paul always started. With them was their helper, John, and John becomes an interesting story. In our terminology he is really an intern on this trip, and he blows out. A few chapters later, when Paul and Barnabas are heading out on another journey, Barnabas says, "Let's take John Mark," and Paul says, "I'm not going to take him." There is a huge breakup over this.

But here is what makes it a magnificent picture. At the end of his life — and Paul is the one who had said he didn't want this man — Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter four, verse nine: "I'm here all alone. Only Luke is with me. Demas has deserted me. You, Timothy, come quickly and bring Mark with you. He's useful for service." You may be here today as someone who has really failed. We call it sin, and it's a big deal. So did John Mark. So did Peter. Not only did God say He would forgive you — and you might believe He would forgive you — He will still use you.

Where God Works, Opposition Follows

Moving to verse six: when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician. God is moving and directing these people, and where God is working, there will inevitably be opposition. There is a false prophet named Bar-Jesus who is with the proconsul, the governor, Sergius Paulus — described as a man of intelligence. Sergius Paulus summons Barnabas and Saul and seeks to hear the word of God. Here is one of the most powerful men in the area they are working, and he sends a message saying, "Come — I want to hear this truth." That is what God does. As you are faithful and as you are sharing, God begins to open doors. He will do that in your life.

There is a magician in the area watching this unfold, and his name is Elymas. He is opposing them and trying to intervene to turn Sergius Paulus away from the faith. Verse nine tells us that Saul, filled with the Holy Spirit — and that is the key — said, "You are full of deceit and fraud. You are not Bar-Jesus, not a son of Jesus — you are a son of the devil, an enemy of righteousness. Will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?"

Then in verse eleven, while he is speaking: "Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." Immediately a mist fell on the man, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Sergius Paulus thought it was extraordinary, too — he believed when he saw what happened, and he was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

You Are the Missionary

This is what you see all the time. God moves sovereignly through the book of Acts, He moves sovereignly through your life, and yet you are responsible to move. God uses real people in real places for real impact. He uses you in the places you are already in, and He puts you there for impact.

Paul is on a missionary journey, and when we hear that phrase we think passport, visa, shots. But the terminology Paul himself uses in 2 Corinthians chapter five is this: you are an ambassador for Christ. You are one right now, in the real places you already occupy. Our responsibility, as we have said over the years, is to make the invisible God visible and to speak the truth boldly. That is how God has always expanded the church, and history confirms it.

In his classic work *The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire*, Edward Gibbon writes that it had become the most sacred duty of a new convert to diffuse — to spread out among his friends and neighbors — the blessing he had received. One of the early historians writes that the feat of Christianity, meaning its expansion and growth, was accomplished by means of informal missionaries. That is you. As you go out from this place, witnessing is not optional and it is not simply mandatory — it is who you are as an ambassador, carried out in the ordinary places God has already put you.

You Are Already a Witness

It's inevitable. You're a witness right now. You just had a week of witnessing. You might have done a lousy job of it, or you might have done a great job, but you did it. You are to go, and in Jesus' words, let your light shine in such a way that people see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Wherever you go.

I was driving down Ray Road the other day and I saw a sign — a real estate sign, open house with an arrow, and the realtor's name on it. I recognized the name as somebody I know, somebody from church. I thought, I'll just pop in. It was light out, I couldn't remember what day of the week it was, but I thought she's probably sitting there, could be lonely, I'll pop in, say hi, and get out. I went in and she was all bubbly, all excited. I said this is a cool house, and she said, "Oh, I sold these people this house" — I think she said fourteen years ago — "it's a great house, now they're downsizing."

Here's what I thought: isn't that amazing? For most people, this is the biggest financial decision they'll make in their life, and she's there in the midst of that. Think of the opportunity to be salt and light in those people's lives.

Missionaries in Everyday Roles

I need a haircut, but the lady who cuts my hair goes to church here. You talk about an opportunity to witness and share — she's got you in her sink and in her chair for like twenty minutes. Well, not for everybody. I know, sorry, I didn't mean to ruin it for you. But if you're doing a color and a cut, it's an hour and a half. You tend to open up in that chair, and there's all this stuff going on. That's a missionary.

One of my doctors goes to church here. He's a cardiologist — he's dealing with life and death. He had to come in, do whatever he was doing, and come out to Sandy and say, "We need to do something more than this. We're going to need to do a surgery." Think of the opportunity you have there.

I was thinking about this: you're a tow truck driver. It's 178 degrees out, somebody's car is broken down, and they need a tow. You pull up and walk over, and all of a sudden you are physically the hands of God, a cool drink in a time of real need. You can have an interaction where they look at you and say, "There's something different about you." Not odd — different. You're at the gym. You can play this out a thousand ways. You're a teacher. You've got kids around you all day that you can influence for the rest of their lives.

The Power of the Tongue

My kindergarten teacher was a lady by the name of Miss Julie. I was five. I could take you into that room right now — the room was set up small, our desks were at an angle. Think about the power of life and death in the tongue. We had a coloring assignment: two kids playing in the snow. We colored it and turned it in. Miss Julie said, "Look up here. Who drew this? Tom — which one of you is Tom?" I want to say, thanks for getting to know us so well. "Everybody look up here. Tom drew this. You see this? This kid is in a red snowsuit and this one is in an orange snowsuit. Don't you ever put red and orange together. Ever."

Now that was sixty-two years ago. I mean, I'm way over it by now. I've lost track of Miss Julie. I assume she's in hell, chained for all eternity next to a kid in a red snowsuit and an orange snowsuit. But think about that. Think about the power you have. That's the power you have in the tongue as a teacher. You're a mom staying home all day with kids — you manifest Jesus, you live the gospel out, you speak it.

People Are Watching

Once you start to get serious about this, understand that everybody is watching. I taught last Sunday at Scottsdale Bible Church. We came home, changed, and Sandy said, "Do you want to do something?" I said sure. She said, "Would you like to go to Fashion Square?" That's more my idea than hers — she's not a shopper, she doesn't typically want to go — but I said sure. So we went to Fashion Square, got something to eat, and walked out. Four people stopped me and said, "I saw you this morning at Scottsdale Bible Church."

My point is this: when you say to somebody, "I'm going to Redemption Church, come to my small group, will you read this, will you come to Easter?" — they are watching you. I say that just as a reminder. It's not a burden; it's a privilege. They're watching you. Larry Wright used to say it this way: you might be the only Bible some people ever read.

I could get a little goofy and out of whack with that idea, but here's what I know — they're watching you. And to them, at this point, you are the Bible. That doesn't alleviate the responsibility they have. What it does is point to the privilege you have. Not duty.

Compelled by Love, Not Obligation

Right before Paul says that you're an ambassador for Christ, he says this: "The love of Christ compels us." Why do you do this? Not out of duty or obligation. If that's your motivation, I can tell you what's going to happen — you're going to burn out. It'll become very much like a Pharisee; you'll be going through the hoops and checking boxes. That's not why. You do it because He loves you.

Some of you are old enough to remember this. Maybe the first time you were in this situation — you're dating, and you're trying to figure out, do I say it? I remember I was in high school, dating this girl, and she said, "I love you." And I said, "I love you." And I thought, what happened here? Where did this come from? Well, here's what happens: the minute you hear "I love you," your response is just like a reflex. That's pretty powerful.

Called Into His Story

A year ago, I couldn't do that. But your instinct is to say "I love you too." Here is Jesus on the cross and risen from the tomb, saying "I love you," and your whole life is an "I love you" back. That is not duty. That is an act of love and privilege. He has called you into His story.

This is not about you. This is about Him. Just as the Lord sent out Barnabas and Saul and John Mark, He is going to send you out. Where? Wherever you go.

If you are looking for a mission field, go home, put on shorts and a t-shirt, take a walk, and you are going to find people all around you who need to hear and see that gospel. At the gym, start to see everything that way. This is the book of Acts continuing right here.

This can be continued next week — Neil picks up right here next week.

Father, take this truth and drive it home in our lives and in our minds. God, thank You for loving us, saving us, and using us. We pray that in Jesus' name. Amen.