A Call to Missions

Acts 13:1-3

February 9, 1997

 

The local church is to be the incubator, training ground, and launching pad for missions.  As wonderful as the system we have in place as a denomination is, unless we think and act diligently, we will make the denomination the vehicle for missions and not the local church.  A local church missions perspective includes the following:

(1) We must see the glory of God in the proclamation of the gospel to the nations.

(2) We must recognize the pleasure of God in saving some from every tribe, tongue, people and 

     nation.

(3) We must see this global work of missions as our job in the local church. 

(4) We must each seek to know the part God would have us undertake in missions.

(5) We must be sensitive to developing a local church mission strategy that is God-centered, 

     God-glorifying, and God-dependent. 

I. A Home Base for Missions

 

 "Headquarters," if you could call it that, was Jerusalem.  Antioch was an outpost - a local church. 

 

1. Diversity in composition 

There was that true, mission spirit of "whosoever will" in their own ranks. 

a. Barnabas - a Levite from Cyprus (Acts 4:36).

b. Simeon called Niger - name means black, so most scholars presume he was a black African. 

    Possibly 'Simon of Cyrene' which is in present-day Libya.

c. Lucius of Cyrene - definitely North African.

d. Manaen - brought up with Herod Antipas the tetrarch (son of Herod the Great).  Could mean he 

    was a "foster-brother" or "intimate friend."

e. Saul - Tarsus in Cilicia (Stott 216).

May the Lord increase our diversity!

 

2. Recognize spiritual leaders

Prophets and teachers - their gifts were recognized and exercised.

 

3. Train to "send away" (v.3)

They did not send their culls to the work of missions.  Examples: Carey to India, C. T. Studd to China.

 

II. A Divine Initiation of Missions

 

1. Spiritually sensitive leaders and congregation (v. 3)

"They" could be as narrow as the five leaders or as broad as the congregation.

 

2. A distinct calling

Not all were called to leave Antioch, but some were.  "Set apart for Me" - a divine call that had a congregational response.

 

3. A definite work

"The work to which I have called them"-the Greek is a perfect middle, so this divine decision of calling to service was made before it was announced!

 

III. A Support System for Missions

 

1.      Externally through the church (v. 3)

 

2.      Internally by the Holy Spirit (v. 4)

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