Acts Chapter 11 Called to a Meeting, Called on the Carpet, Called to Missions (Birth of World Missions) In chapter 10 of the New Testament book of Acts the Apostle Peter had obeyed a vision from God and preached the first sermon to a Gentile audience. God honored the disciple’s obedience and poured out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also-God had already done this with the new Jewish believers. This was a significant act because it showed to the world that God loves and accepts all people groups through their faith in Jesus Christ. Jewish tradition taught that Jews only were the chosen people of God; Gentiles were no better than dogs and hardly worth saving. The new Jewish believers were having problems assimilating old traditions with new beliefs, and when they heard that Peter had preached to the Gentiles of Cornelius’s city they were extremely upset with Peter. Can you hear the rumor mill at the First Church of Jerusalem? It must have gone something like this: That Peter, who does he think he is going against Moses’ Law?; Doesn’t Peter know that breaking Moses’ Law can get us all killed as it did Jesus?; I tell you one thing, I’ll never go to church with a Gentile Dog; Pete always was too pushy!; and on and on and on. So First Church formed a Church Council to deal with the issue (the first of its kind). First Church called a meeting, called Peter on the carpet, and as a result of the meeting World Missions were born. This is so very important to you because if you are a Christian you are a direct product of this tense meeting in Jerusalem so many years ago. The Gospel came to you as a result of World Missions; will you in turn send the Gospel to the world? Called to a Meeting 1 ¶ Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. Probably Peter was sent for by the elders of the Jerusalem Church. Peter knew he was in “hot water”, but Peter also knew he had obeyed God-better to obey God than man. The disciple could also identify with their concerns because he had felt the same way about Gentiles only a short time before. Peter wasn’t worried about being stoned for breaking Jewish traditions; only the Jews did that. He was concerned about his place in the Church, but he knew regardless of what happened in the meeting God would supply his needs; Peter would not cower with fear before his brethren; he would stand his ground and share the Word of God. Then Peter left for the meeting filled with dread, but determined to share the Truth. Called On the Carpet 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, ",You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!" Have you ever been “called on the carpet”? The phrase usually refers to being brought before a boss for something they think you did wrong. I’ve been there a few times in my life. The most memorable was in high school because of something that had happened on the school bus. I got on the bus that Thursday morning in November as was a happy go lucky sophomore. The driver.had given me permission to sit in the back of the bus the day before. He had me sitting up front just behind him most of the semester. I guess he needed me to help him drive the bus. Anyway, that morning I decided not to push my luck so I sat only a third of the way back on the right side. Minding my own business I suddenly felt a painful stinging sensation on the back of my neck. When I turned to look for who was responsible for the wet paper wad missile, I spotted Nelson Sizemore sitting three seats behind me on the other side of the bus; Nelson had a mischievous grin on his face. It was on after that, and by divine intervention I found a sheet of newspaper on the floor under my feet. I wadded the paper and until the wad got as hard as a softball. And then I turned (when the driver wasn’t looking) and threw toward Nelson. The missile missed Nelson and hit the girl sitting in front of him in the right eye. Immediately her eye turned totally black; she screamed, she cried, her sister sitting next to her screamed and the driver took note of the situation. All first period I waited for the principle to send for me and eventually he did. Walking to his office was like walking toward the electric chair on death row. The principle had all the facts and I pled guilty. His first pronouncement of my sentence was to expel me from school for the rest of the year. Then he got more information confirming my side of the story and he reduced the sentence to two weeks. When it was finally over I was expelled for six days- Friday through all the next week. When I got on the bus to go home (sitting behind the driver again of course) my friends (including Nelson) were singing the words to that old great American classic, “Six days on the road and I’m going to make it home tonight”. So you see, I know how Peter felt, but Peter hadn’t done anything wrong. Peter had Jesus on his side. The Jewish Christians who had sent for him argued with Peter and said to him angrily, “You went into the home of a Gentile, and you actually ate with them!” Wisely Peter didn’t argue his case to the men like you and I would have. What Peter did was to recount the whole council of God by telling the entire story as God had brought it about. When someone confronts us about our convictions as Christians we will always win the confrontation by citing the Word of God. Not how we feel about it, or what we think about it, or what someone else said about it, just cite what God says about it as Peter did. Peter’s courageous stand before the council resulted in one of the most world changing decisions ever to be made. God used this whole affair to open the minds and hearts of the early Christians to World Missions. This is important to you and me because we are a product of a World Mission effort brought to the shores of America long ago. Called to World Missions 17 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" 18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." 19 ¶ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. 20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. 27 ¶ And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Peter finished his presentation with this statement, “Who am I to withstand God?”. God had brought about the salvation of the Gentiles through Peter, and Peter wasn’t about to go against the will and plan of God. Then the men fell silent; then they began to praise God; then they began a great and bold endeavor. God’s word always confounds the wise and admonishes the fool as God’s Word did here. There could be no more denial by the early Christians that God had indeed included Gentiles into His plan of salvation given to the world through Jesus Christ. Then the elders who had now gained much more Godly wisdom than before began to plan for a world conquest through Love and missions, not through death and hatred. And here are the elements to successful World Missions included right here in this text. 1. The Philosophy of World Missions Every Christian Church and every denomination must have the right philosophy for a World Mission effort to happen. The correct philosophy begins by your believing that all people are lost without Jesus Christ, and that it’s your obligation to tell them about God’s plan of salvation. Look at the Great Commission that Jesus gave us; Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever, I have commanded you… Matthew 28:19-20. To follow Christ means that we obey His command in this Scripture. If you believe that anyone can go to Heaven any number of ways you have just cut the guts out of the Great Commission. When the modern mission movement was attempting to get started in Britain and America over one hundred years ago, one of the obstacles standing in the way was a false mission philosophy. This false philosophy was believed by many, and it taught that if God wanted to save the heathen He would do it without our help. Wisely many other faithful believers didn’t buy into this lie and gave their lives to World Missions. As a result of their Biblical belief about winning the lost throughout the world, America became the greatest missionary sending country in the history of the Christian Church. If your church is involved in World Missions it’s because someone taught your church the correct philosophy about missions. No church is too small or too poor to be involved some way in winning the lost to Christ throughout the world through missions. Can you see how this mission philosophy evolved in the above Scripture? When the Jerusalem Church finally accepted the fact that God was out to save the entire world the church immediately organized for mission outreach. 2. The People of World Missions First, the church took note of how and where the Gospel was being preached (verses 19-21); then they send out Barnabas to encourage those doing the work of the Lord on nearby mission fields (today if you have someone who encourages you in your faith he/she is known as your Barnabas); next Barnabas surveyed the work being done to preach the Gospel to the Jews (verses 22-24); finally, Barnabas found the Apostle Paul (Apostle to the Gentiles) and spent a year preaching with him in the Gentile city of Antioch. In the important and tolerant city of Antioch the new believers were first called Christians (verse 26). Thus World Missions was born out of a disagreement, became quickly organized to better serve the Lord which eventually led to their reaching the entire world with the Gospel. So today who are the people of World Missions? Well, look around your church and then go look in the mirror and you will see them. You are the people of World Missions; God is depending on you to fulfill the Great Commission. Start by praying for mission endeavors throughout the world; then pray for individual missionaries and their families; find out what their needs are and help them to meet those needs (the Shoebox Project of Franklyn Graham is one example); and then of course the only thing left to do is to GO YOURSELF!. You may never pack up your family and move to a foreign country as a career missionary, but you can go on short term mission trips with your church or another group. Many people in this area have been involved in short term mission projects in Haiti. Many have been involved in Disaster Relief cleanup efforts throughout the country. I have been to Russia five times with other volunteers including doctors, nurses, carpenters and preachers. In Russia I have met some of the most wonderful people in the whole world (I’ve been to many parts of the world) who loved the Lord and needed encouragement much as the early Christians did. What makes you different my Christian friend? Why won’t you go? Well you say, I might die in a foreign country. Well, you might die here too. Don’t you think God can’t take care of you? Where is you trust in the Lord? Granted, in this day and time caution should be exercised in traveling to some areas of the world-nevertheless, God will take care of you if you obey Him. So, maybe you’re not a doctor or a nurse; can you teach children, can you drive a nail, can you participate in soul-winning visitation? If you are willing to obey, God has a place for you. There is some little boy of girl in a faraway place who needs your love and touch right now. God did not ignore your spiritual needs and He began to provide for them in this meeting centuries ago; please don’t ignore theirs. 3. The Purse of Missions Someone has to pay for missionary outreach. Churches, groups and individuals who are taught the Biblical message of World Missions will fund missions with regular gifts and offerings. My denomination has two mission emphases each year in which Christians are taught about mission and encouraged to give to missions. If your church is not involved in giving to World Missions perhaps you can help get them by first getting involved yourself. Found in verses 28-30 is the first recorded missionary offering for disaster relief. A severe famine had taken a great toll on the region. Wheat was the primary food source, so when something happened to the wheat crop people starved. Jerusalem was hardest hit by the famine and the Jerusalem Church was suffering terribly. The churches earlier established in the outlying regions heard of the plight of the Jerusalem Christians, so they took a love offering for them. The offering of money was brought to the suffering Jerusalem Church by Barnabas and Paul. The favor the Jerusalem Church had shown to the outlying churches by sending encouragement was now being returned to them. Have you thought much about how your church came to be? It hasn’t always been there you know. It exists, and you are now saved because of a long history of missions. From this first mission effort in Jerusalem was birthed a burden for sinners throughout the world who needed to hear about Jesus. Form Jerusalem the early Christians took the Gospel to all of Europe, Africa, Asia. Many centuries later Christians in Europe followed their burden for the lost heathen to a whole new world- the Americas. Churches were established in North America and mission agencies began to form. These new mission agencies were funded by churches and individuals whose love for the Lord led them to love the lost. New churches were established as the west opened up to settlement. Concerned Christians came to Kentucky because they believed in World Missions. Eventually, people with this same missionary Spirit came to your county to establish your church. All of this effort was to reach you for Christ, and was paid for by others. Your church was established and built; someone paid for that too. Now it’s your turn to support World Missions. Maybe it’s just through a Mile of Pennies, the Shoebox Project or sending a few dollars to a missionary along with Barnabas letter but it all adds up, and you are being obedient. Someone once said the Gospel came to you on the way to someone else. World Missions are waiting for you. Galatians 3 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”[d] 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[e] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[g] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[h] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 01:06:03 +0000
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