I hope that you forgive me, but I have a cartoon-like image of Israel during her 40 years in the wilderness.
The nation had sinned against God by not believing and following His direction to claim the Promised Land.
So the Lord added the promise that the entire adult generation which came out of Egypt would die before their children could enter Canaan.
The picture that I have is of an airplane which isn’t sure that it’s nose wheel is locked in place for landing.
So it flies around and around the airport burning off its excess fuel in hopes of preventing an explosion should they have to crash-land.
Israel didn’t actually circle the landing field; she spent most of her time east and south of it.
And no one knows how often the nation moved from place to place, but it probably wasn’t every day.
In fact it probably wasn’t every week or even every month that they moved.
For guidance the nation possessed the famous Pillar of Fire and Cloud which towered over the Tabernacle.
When the Tabernacle and the Pillar of Cloud began to move, then everyone knew it was time to gather the sheep, pack the luggage and load the donkey.
In this fashion, for forty years Israel lived out in the deserts of Arabia, burning off the older generation before they could land in the place God promised to them.
My point is that ISRAEL had the Lord’s leadership and timing.
But have you ever wondered how PAUL and BARNABAS knew what place to visit and when?
At times they were driven from city to village by the hatred and power of God’s enemies.
And at other times, they were led by the Holy Spirit in a more pleasant fashion.
Wouldn’t it be nice and helpful, if New Testament saints and saints today had a Pillar of Fire to direct us?
After being pushed out of Antioch and then pushed out of Iconium, Paul had been attacked by a mob in Lystra.
After being stoned and left for dead, he and Barnabas traveled 40 miles south-east to Derbe.
“And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch.”
Derbe was about half way between Lystra and Paul’s birthplace of Tarsus, Cilicia.
It may have been tempting for Paul to suggest that they head back to their home church, through Tarsus,
First, there was a range of mountains between Derbe and Tarsus, which I am told could be treacherous in the winter.
Derbe was on the north side of those mountains and Cilicia was on the Mediterranean coast south of the mountains.
I can’t imagine that the Eastern Mediterranean gets as much snow as the mountains of North Idaho or Colorado, but what do I know?
This morning I’d like to talk to you about those missionaries’ work and responsibility.
They headed back up the road they had been driven down, because they hadn’t fulfilled their commission.
I think that there is a great misunderstanding about the so-called “Great Commission” today.
Many people have the idea that Matthew 28:18-20 is talking about something called “soul-winning.”
Actually the point of that commission is something else called “discipling.”
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
The Great Commission involves a very special teaching of all nations, a special baptizing of those who believe, and a thorough instruction in Christian doctrine.
Not only is that the commission which Jesus has given us,
But we see that it was the endeavor of Jesus’ first missionaries to obey that plan.
Although it will be impossible for Christians in any generation to say that we have perfectly fulfilled our God-given commission,
We must be able to say that we are trying to carry it out as the Lord intended.
Like Paul we need to be able, at the end of our lives, to say,
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
I’m going to spend the entire day looking at Paul’s missionary methods as seen in this scripture.
He preached, discipled, confirmed, exhorted, ordained, prayed and commended.
This is a bit too large for one message, and probably a bit to small for two,
But you probably WILL be tired of it by about 7:00 tonight.
And I am very willing to make that return, because preaching is what I do; preaching is my life.
But I am still studying it, and some day I hope to have modicum of proficiency in it.
Notice that the missionaries’ ministry in Derbe was only that they PREACHED the gospel and TAUGHT many.
They didn’t organize Awana groups, Boy Scout troops or Pioneer Clubs.
Their ministry was not through Passion Plays or Mediaeval-type Morality Plays.
They didn’t advertize themselves as a Christian karate troop or a Christian rap group.
They didn’t minister as medical missionaries or even as Christian teachers.
Paul and Barnabas were PREACHERS of the gospel.
It might interest some of you to know that the English words in verse 21, “when they had preached the gospel” are translated from a single Greek word – “euaggelizo” ( yoo-ang-ghel-id’-zo ).
They “evangelized” Derbe; they preached the gospel.
And as we saw in Acts 13 what they did was to declare the good news that the Saviour had come.
The gospel is the good news that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
It is the process of telling people that “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
The gospel is to be believed, and the Saviour, Who is the theme of the gospel, is to be believed UPON.
Evangelism is the act of human communication which gives the Holy Spirit the tools through which He may convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.
As I was studying this subject again the other day, I saw that it is more complex than I had first realized.
For example, there are other Greek words which are translated “to preach.”
There is the word “kerusso” ( kay-roos’-so ), which simply means to herald or publicly declare something.
Once in a while in the Scriptures, both “kerusso” and “euagglizo” come up in the same verse.
For example there are the last verses of Romans:
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
Preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.”
“And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia.”
In Romans 15 Paul uses “kerusso” and then another word which is translated “FULLY preached,”
Yea, so have I strived to PREACH the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation.”
I Corinthians 1:18 even adds another word to our list.
It’s the word which is most often translated “word” – “logos.”
For the PREACHING of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness.”
I do it in order to remind you that in the Bible the gospel ministry was a ministry of preaching.
And if we are going to call ourselves a New Testament church, then preaching and teaching must always be our first responsibilities.
(In other words, I’m selfishly trying to protect my job.)
Have YOU heard the gospel lately?
Have you REALLY heard it?
Have you heard it in your heart and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit?
Do you believe the gospel and is your faith and hope in the Christ of the Gospel?
If not, then you are hopelessly lost and bound for Hell.
Evangelism is the root and foundation of the Christian ministry and responsibility.
BUT Acts 14:21 goes on:
“And when they had PREACHED the gospel to that city, and had TAUGHT many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch.”
The word that he used for “teach” was “matheteuo” ( math-ayt-yoo’-o ).
The literal translation of this word is “disciple.”
The Lord Jesus said, “Go ye therefore and DISCIPLE all nations.”
This is something quite different from merely spreading the good news about the Saviour.
And it is the word that is used to describe the second part of Paul’s ministry in Derbe.
They returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch.”
I’m not sure that we are as successful in this as I would like, but it is my hope nevertheless.
One of the primary purposes of the true New Testament church is to be used of the Lord to make children of God into learners, students and mature servants of God.
It is one thing, and a very important thing, to blanket a community with the gospel.
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
There are multitudes of churches who seem to see this as their only responsibility.
But discipling, as we have it in the Great Commission, is when those babes in Christ are taught the Word of God sufficiently to grow and mature in the doctrines of God.
In His commission Christ was not content to establish a bunch of Christian nurseries;
He wants every one of His churches to be a nursery and seminary, eventually turning babes into teachers.
And He wants YOU to be students.
If you are not a Christian student then you are the Christian that God wants you to be.
So what is your opinion about this kind of message?
Are you tired of this long study of the Book of Acts?
Do you care whether or not you remember a single thought from any of the messages that you hear?
If you are NOT a disciple, a learner of Christ, how can you be sure that you are really a child of God at all?
I learn things every week as I prepare these messages, so I know that there MUST be a few things which are new to you as well.
Are you a more knowledgeable Christian, a more useful Christian than you were a month ago or year ago?
Paul and Barnabas evangelized the city of Derbe, AND they discipled many.
Obviously, they discipled a smaller number than they evangelized.
But they weren’t finished;
As they were led of the Spirit to return to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch . . .
They returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith.”
The word “confirm” means “to strengthen.”
Paul and Barnabas did as much as they could, given the opportunity that they had, to strengthen the souls of the disciples.
As most of you know, I was raised in the Anglican denomination, or as it’s called here in the States: the Episcopal Church.
Anglicans have a ceremony in which the priest inducts people into denominational membership.
Every part of this ceremony was scripted a very long time ago and is usually always the same.
First, the bishop makes a couple of comments and then asks the candidates if they have been baptized.
That poor Bishop apparently believes his script more than he believes his Bible.
There are several other questions, and all the answers are all supposed to be memorized according to the plan.
This is called a “Confirmation service.”
It is similar to the confirmation service of the Roman Catholic denomination.
There is also a confirmation service in Judaism as well, when a young man has properly finished his religious education.
None of these have anything to do with the what we see in verse 22.
We need to remember that each of these cities then had a little band of disciples.
Against all logic, the Holy Spirit had called and saved a few souls out of Judaism and heathenism.
They had entered the strait gate, and they had begun to travel down the narrow way which leads to eternal life with their Saviour.
They had become disciples, learners of Christ.
But the ministry of the missionaries had been very brief among them.
In some cases it was three weeks and in other perhaps three months.
And there were probably very few of those.
They knew where they were headed by the grace of God, but they certainly didn’t know how to get there.
Some of them had seen Paul stoned, and they had every reason to think that the same thing could happen to them some time down the road.
Paul and Barnabas knew that these people needed encouragement and structure.
These new believers needed to know ways in which they could serve the Saviour.
They needed things that they could lean on.
They needed to hear that they were appreciated and loved by other saints, as well as by the Lord.
They needed to know that as soon as it was possible there would be other Christians praying for them.
They needed to hear that there would be others coming to visit them with more of the blessings of God.
They needed to realize that despite the persecution Paul would be back.
These were the types of things that could confirm their souls.
It was their souls which needed confirmation, not their bodies or their church memberships.
I am not going to try to tell you that this is a great church and that you have a great pastor,
Because I don’t believe either one.
But I am going to tell you that there is a fantastic privilege in having a church here for you to attend.
If you are not a CHILD OF GOD, it isn’t because the gospel is not preached here,
If you don’t have a hunger and thirst for the Bible, it’s not because your pastor doesn’t have that hunger.
If you are not growing in Christ and in the knowledge of His Word, it’s because you are not feasting on the riches of God.
Paul and Barnabas were spending their lives in order to reach the souls of the heathen in Lycaonia & Pisidia.
And they never knew when their lives would be totally spent.
That is basically the same with this church and any church.
Have you been born again?
Are you a disciple of Christ?
“How shall (any of us) escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?”
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”