Separate For The Work
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25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
Acts 13:1-
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
They were sent by the Holy Spirit and they obeyed. We should always be seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In every aspect of our lives, we should seek Him.
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Acts 13:1-
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
They were sent by the Holy Spirit and they obeyed. We should always be seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In every aspect of our lives, we should seek Him.
These men fasted and prayed, and it was during that time that the Spirit revealed to them what they needed to do. If we truly want to live a life set apart, a life abundant, a life that looks like Jesus, then we must also seek direction from the very same power that gave it to Him.
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
The problem is that our lives today are too busy. We have too much going on, too much distraction, too much of everything else and not enough of God. We’ve got to make the time. We’ve got to make Jesus a priority. We need to give Him our best time, not our spare time. When Jesus becomes first in our lives, we will see that our priorities become clear.
The things we thought were important no longer have hold on us. When Jesus takes priority, busyness turns into intentional living. When we live intentionally for Jesus, we have a fullness and peace in our lives that no other thing in this world can match.
Thats not my sermon today, but it’s pretty good, amen?
5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
tells us that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. Sometimes your cousins are your best friends.
Anyone here have a cousin they grew up with that has been one of your best friends in life?
But sometimes, your cousin is the kid that your mom makes you take with you to do things because they have no friends.
Anyone here have one of those cousins?
I don’t know which of those cousins Mark was to Barnabas, but he is here none the less.
I want to point something out that we’ve talked about before, but it’s important to understand. We were not meant to walk this journey alone. We always need someone pouring into us and we always need to be pouring into someone else.
9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
We saw Saul run into this as he first went out. He went alone and had trouble. He ran into issues and had to retreat in order to be restored. I can’t help but wonder if he would have had a better time if he had went out with someone else from the beginning.
When we are alone, we are more susceptible to the influence of others, but when we surround ourselves with other believers, we are stronger and more confident in what we are doing because we have support with us. Then we become the influence.
We were not created to be alone! We were created for fellowship. Notice that the Holy Spirit called out Barnabas and Saul to go together.
Let’s keep reading.
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
Proconsul = governer
Proconsul = governer
What I think is great in these verses is that this man, an intelligent man, who already had a ‘prophet’ at his side, still called for Barnabas and Saul so that they could share the word of God with him.
Wise men seek out wise counsel.
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
When the world gives you an opinion, always get a second opinion from God. The true and living word of God will always rise above the false teachings of a broken world.
The world is full of false prophets who will try to turn you away from Christ.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
They will come in many forms.
Friends, boyfriends, girlfriends - draw you away from Christ
musicians, entertainers, public figures - draw you away from Christ
goals, jobs, money, power - draw you away from Christ
Anything or anyone that tells you that they should be more important to you than Jesus is a false prophet. Most people that oppose Jesus and the Gospel do so because He jeopardizes their way of life. Selfishness is always present in the opposition of surrender and salvation because surrender and salvation require humility. The world will tell you to live for yourself, YOLO.
The bible tells us there is another life waiting for us when we leave this place. While we are here, we are to live for others and live for Jesus. Living for Jesus requires selflessness.
This man was trying to keep the proconsul away from God.
Listen to what Paul says to this man:
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Paul wastes no time in calling out the lies and perversions of this man. I can’t help but think about all the things we allow, and sometimes even invite, into our lives that pervert the ways of the Lord.
Greed - in our salvation: uninterested in sharing with others
Gluttony - our addiction to excess, it's never enough: popularity, attention
Jealousy - causes bitter feelings towards others
Unthankful - focused on what we don't have
Paul saw the situation and acted accordingly. He called this man out on his lies without hesitation.
jealousy -
Self Control - managing your temper
Anger - usually taken out on those we love
jealousy -
Because these things are acceptable in the world doesn’t mean they are right.
judgmental - pointing out the sins of others to make yourself feel better
We don’t usually see these things as being sin separating us from God because we see them so much in the world. The world does not set moral boundaries and expectations for a Christian, the bible does. When we overlook our own sin because the world calls it normal or acceptable, then we become like the false prophet in that the testimony of our lives is a false representation of who Jesus is.
Paul saw the situation and acted accordingly. He called this man out on his lies without hesitation.
There was an urgency and conviction in Paul when he addressed the sorcerer. I think we have lost that urgency as Christians. We have the keys to salvation, yet we do not share it.
If we caught someone selling drugs to our children, we would act.
If we saw someone trying to physically hurt a loved one, we would move.
If we came upon a fire where people were might be killed, we would try to help.
Yet, we move through our lives day after day, watching people be deceived by false teachers and fall to the lies of the world as we do nothing.
We, as Christians, need to regain the urgency of salvation and of sharing the Gospel with others.
Paul saw the situation, and he acted as the Spirit led him. Let’s see what happened.
11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
The result of this was two fold.
The result of this was two fold.
First, the sorcerer was left seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Remember when Paul was blinded by God? He had someone there to lead him when he could not see.
When we under God's authority, He provides us with direction even during times of struggle.
When we withstand God, as the sorcerer did, we are left in the dark, lost, helpless, and waiting for anyone to show us the way.
Second, the proconsul believed. BUT, he didn't believe solely because of what had happened. The blinding of the sorcerer led to the teaching of God which astonished him.
True salvation happens when we respond to God's word, not to signs and miracles. They merely direct us to the truth. Flash and spectacle will always attract people, but it is the word of God that changes them.
Application
Application
Every one of us has false prophets in our lives. Some of them have more influence on us than others.
Every one of us has sin in our lives that we overlook because it may not look as bad as someone else’s sin.
These things work to draw us away from our faith in Jesus. They fight for our attention and they distort the testimony of our lives.
But the only power these things have over us is the power we give them. We can overcome them when we:
identify what they are - what takes your attention, what sin do you accept
surround ourselves with Godly counsel - we weren’t meant to be alone
rebuke them and cast them out of your life -
seek the Holy Spirit through it all
When we do this, we will be astonished at what the Lord is teaching us!
Prayer/ Invitation
Prayer/ Invitation
Acts 12:25