Preached by Chris Broom, 4/6/2008

Download audio

Anthony and Elizabeth Eckels, pictured with their sons, recently moved to Orlando to the plant the Orlando International Christian Church (see the report on their new website www.orlandoicc.org)

Building a Great Church, part 8 - Second Missionary Journey - Outline

I was listening to a Christian radio station last week and heard a woman that called in to play a Bible trivia game. She was asked to name the four gospels in a multiple choice format.

1. Mark, Luke, John and Matthew.
2. Acts, Luke, John and Matthew.
3. Larry, Curly and Moe.

Sadly, she picked #2.

We live in a world that is biblically illiterate. Even among those that fill churches every week, people just don’t study the Word of God. I feel so bad for this woman and all who have been told that they are saved by just praying a prayer, and yet they don’t know the basic teachings of Jesus much less the names of the four gospels. It is so important to know the Bible because it is our guide in this world and our treasure map to the next. I hope you are encouraged and challenged by this week’s sermon (you will find the audio above and the notes below). Let’s make it our ambition to be men and women who correctly handle the Word of truth.

Chris Broom

The Second Missionary Journey:

Acts 15:36:

• Paul and Barnabas were great partners in the gospel.
• Paul wanted to go back and encourage all the churches they had started on the first missionary journey.
• Barnabas wanted to take John Mark and Paul said no! Sadly, after a great victory for unity at the Jerusalem Council, the two men that most influenced the churches that were planted on the first missionary journey, parted company. They didn’t disfellowship each other, but they were going in different directions.
• Barnabas took John Mark, who was probably broken hearted, humiliated and shamed. The great news is that by Colossians 4, John Mark is with Paul when he is in prison, and in 2 Timothy 4:9 (late 66 AD), shortly before Paul is beheaded and martyred for Christ, he writes to Timothy and says, get John Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry. The only person that Paul asks for by name is John Mark.
• We learn two powerful lessons from these events.

1. The power of forgiveness. When forgiveness is complete, unity is restored. Sometimes, when my children apologize to one another, it is not a real apology. When they can once again play together, I know that true forgiveness has taken place. We know when we have truly forgiven someone, because then we can go back into fellowship with them.
2. A lot of people can identify with John Mark. He was a hero and he blew it. His dreams were gone. But Barnabas put his arm around him and said, “I believe in you.” He helped to restore John Mark, and in a few years time, John’s dreams were not only restored, but he became one of the closest brothers to Paul. Most all commentators say that John wrote the first gospel, the gospel of Mark, in the late 60s and early 70s. We need to offer hope to the broken hearted who’s dreams have been smashed. We need to let them know that If they but repent and surrender and become disciples again, God will use all that has happened to them for good. (We have to learn not to waste our pain. When we go through things, we learn to minister to a whole segment of people we wouldn‘t have been able to reach or help before those experiences.)

• Paul took Silas and left commended by the brothers.

Acts 16:1

• Paul added Timothy to his team.
• Paul had the Macedonian Vision. Macedonia is in Europe. Until now they had only been in the continent of Aisia. This is a significant advancement for world vision and world missions. There is a whole world out there that needs to know about Jesus, so…

1. Pick a team and get busy.
2. Make sure you believe the leader of your team is walking with God, because if you don’t, you will never conclude that God is calling you to action through them.
3. The leader of an evangelistic team has the right to pick who is giong to be on their missionary journeys, where they are going, when they are going, and what the guidelines for their team are going to be (as long as they are not against scripture).

• You do not have to be in a certain church or on a certain missionary team to be saved, but God willing, you will put yourself on a team that will help to save more people.

Acts 16:11-15 “Lydia’s Conversion”

• Keypoint: they went to a leading city of that region so they could reach the whole area through that city (i.e. Chicago - leader of Midwest).
• They went to prominent people who have influence over many.

Acts 16:36-40 “Paul and Silas in Prison”

• Keypoint: Paul was a Roman citizen and shouldn’t have been treated this way. God used him to go all the way to Rome and preach to Caesar!
• The situation with the girl who screamed and followed Paul for several days shows us a couple of things…

1. Exposing of purpose.
2. This persecution is all about the money.

In Chapter 17:

1. In Thessalonica … These men who caused trouble all over the world have now come here…
2. In Berea … Now the bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians… The “three E” challenge (eagerly examine the scriptures everyday).
3. In Athens … Paul proclaims the God they worship as an unknown God. God is sovereign and not far from us.

In Chapter 18:

• They are in Corinth.
• Paul meets Pricilla and Aquilla.
• Silas and Timothy arrive and Paul devotes exclusively to preaching.
• Paul is kicked out of synagogue, so he shakes out his clothes in protest and goes next door where he continues to preach and baptize.
• Crispus, the synagogue ruler gets baptized.
• Sosthenes, the new synagogue ruler gets beaten by his own people and later, in 1 Corinthians 1:1, he is the brother of Paul, and co-author of that letter written by Paul back to the church in Corinth.
• Anyone can become a Christian, anytime and anywhere. However, the Bible tells us that few will make it.
• Then Paul arrives back in Antioch, and so the 2nd missionary journey comes to a close.

Closing Thoughts on Partners in the Gospel.

• We all need Partners in the Gospel. (We intuitively understand our need to have a partner. Many people dream of getting married because marriage is supposed to be a partnership.)
• We need partners! That’s why Jesus sent them out two by two. That way, we won’t get lonely.
• When people work side by side in the gospel to change someone’s life. To help a marriage that is on the verge of divorce. To help someone that doesn’t believe they can change. To see someone who is on verge of suicide become a disciple of Jesus Christ. When we work together like that, we become partners.
• Closeness doesn’t come from sitting next to each other in church at the scriptural time of 10 in the morning. The tightness comes from being partners in the gospel. (Recently, Joe and Denise / Ken and Val worked together to help Nick and Jacque become true disciples. These men and women sacrificed alot because they clearly saw the need and therefore had the vision they needed to do the work of the gospel.)
• Hebrews 3:12 … Daily! Who’s your partner?

Categories: Building a Great Church, Sermons