WEBVTT
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All right.
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Well, last week we began our fall series, The Gospel on the Move, and uh we met Saul.
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And Saul was convinced he was on the right road, he was passionate, he was committed, absolutely certain that what he was doing was right.
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And then on the road to Damascus, Jesus stopped him in his tracks, and Paul met Jesus.
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And we learned that his life was turned around.
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And we also learned that there's more to the story.
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While Ananias immediately greeted Paul as Brother Saul, we do recognize that, although it's not outlined a great deal in the text, that there were other people in the surrounding community that may have been affected by Paul's actions that weren't so quick to greet Saul as brother Saul.
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And we looked at some of the questions around you know very lightly, around, you know, do we just forgive and immediately call brother?
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And uh we learned that healing takes time, reconciliation doesn't always happen immediately or sometimes not even become possible in the way it was before.
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But Ananias showed us last week something different and perhaps just as challenging.
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You know, he was willing to allow God's grace to create the possibility of a new relationship without denying the reality of the old one.
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So our takeaway was Brother Saul wasn't just saying what you did doesn't matter.
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It was saying what you did does not have to be the final word about who you are.
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So that brings us to today.
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Um and our big idea is God just doesn't simply turn us around.
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We don't stay there, he gives us somewhere to go.
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I don't think Saul encountered Jesus just to have a better life.
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He was given a mission, and that's where we pick up our story today and for the next few weeks.
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And it's simple.
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Sent.
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Paul was sent because the gospel, as you trace it from Acts on, is on the move.
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Well, our story this morning begins in Antioch, and Luke introduces several of the church's leaders.
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And we sometimes breeze through this section, but I think in today's context, they're really important.
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So Luke names five leaders, but only Saul and Barnabas become major characters in the story.
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The other three are almost hidden from us, yet they're significant enough to be named among the prophets and teachers who were praying, fasting, and discerning the Spirit's direction.
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So, who are the early church leaders?
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Well, probably the most prevalent is Barnabas.
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He was the encourager, and Barnabas was a bridge builder.
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His real name was Joseph, a Lev from Cyprus.
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So the apostles named him Barnabas, and that's traditionally understood as the son of encouragement.
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So he first appears in Acts selling a field and giving the proceeds to the apostles.
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And he becomes really important because he's the one who is willing to take a chance on people.
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When Saul first came to Jerusalem after his conversion, of course, the disciples are afraid of him.
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And rightly so.
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Saul had caused a lot of harm.
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But Barnabas, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, takes Saul to the apostles and vouches for him.
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That's Acts chapter 9, 27.
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And when the church in Jerusalem hears about Gentiles becoming question, Christians in Antioch, that would have been scandalous in the day.
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They send Barnabas to investigate.
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Barnabas sees what God is doing and rejoices rather than trying to control it.
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He then goes looking for Saul and Tarsus and brings them to Antioch.
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And eventually, in Acts chapter 13, our text for today, Barnabas and Saul are sent out together.
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So there's something important here as we continue on this fall.
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Paul's ministry does not begin with Paul believing in himself.
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Paul was a strong guy, a highly competent guy, a passionate guy.
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But Paul's ministry really believes with Barnabas believing in Saul.
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So when Acts chapter 13 begins, Barnabas is listed first, if you'll notice.
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And Saul's listed last.
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And it takes a while for that to shift.
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Now there's others in the story, of course.
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Simeon called Niger, and he's a man we know nothing about.
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Luke just simply names him.
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Many interpreters would think this indicates that Simeon was a black man, but we cannot establish this with certainty.
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We're just not sure.
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There's no biography.
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And that silence is actually worth noticing because he's just a character.
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He wasn't Simeon, the great evangelist, you know, one of the team on the power play.
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He's simply called Simeon.
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And then Niger, one of the early church leaders.
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So this is a diverse community of leadership that's developing.
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And this is where the Holy Spirit chooses missionaries, friend, not the ones that have everything together.
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Number three is Lucius of Cyrene.
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Probably part of the Gentile missionary movement.
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Cyrene was in North Africa, which is now Libya, and there was a substantial Jewish population there.
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So people from Cyrene were already playing a role in the spread of the gospel.
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And earlier on in Acts, we're told that some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and began speaking to Greeks about Jesus.
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So we can speculate quite reasonably that Lucius was connected to that missionary movement, although we're not explicitly told that.
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Interesting that he's not identified as Lucius the Jew or Lucius the Greek.
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He's identified geographically where it was from, Lucius of Cyrene.
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So we're already seeing a reach of leadership far beyond Jerusalem.
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God has a plan.
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I think one of the most interesting characters to me, and again, we don't know much about, and I was looking for more information this week, Manin or Manan, a man who grew up with Herod.
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Hmm.
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Brought up with Herod, which was in question, named Herod Antipas, and he's the ruler that had John the Baptist executed.
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And he is in all of the passion narratives around Easter.
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So the Greek expression perhaps means someone who was raised alongside another person, maybe a childhood companion, but uh interesting that uh his um yeah, his connection would have been surrounded by violence and mayhem.
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What a contrast.
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Well, we've got quite a diverse group of people, don't we?
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Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Menin, and finally Paul, a Pharisee from Tarsus.
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And Luke chapter 13 starts off with no preamble, just powerfully.
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Now in the Church of Antioch, there were prophets and teachers.
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And of course the five are named, but Paul is named last.
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Paul is just a member of the team, he's not the team captain.
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So what are these five doing while the spirit is speaking?
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Well, they are worshiping the Lord, they were fasting.
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Interesting that the Spirit doesn't call Saul in isolation, the Spirit speaks in community of this diverse community of leaders.
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And then the Holy Spirit speaks, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them.
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So notice the order, church.
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The church prays, fasts, lays hands on them, and sends them.
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And I think this is an important point.
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Paul was a powerful, strong leader.
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His call calling was certainly personal.
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It just was given his journey.
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Yet it was never private.
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It was done in the context of community.
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And the church helped him discern the call.
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So before Paul became the great missionary of Acts, he started as simply one of the five leaders sitting around a table in Antioch.
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Barnabas had a pass in Jerusalem.
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Simeon carried a name that may have identified him as black.
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Lucius came from North Africa.
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Manin had grown up around Herod.
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And Saul had once hunted Christians for something to do, believing he was right.
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And together, this diverse bunch worshiped together, they fasted.
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Most importantly, they listen.
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And I think that's the diverse community.
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That's a great place to become.
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A community that has their ears on, as I like to say.
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And another interesting point here, three out of the five virtually disappear from the biblical record.
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We have no idea what they preached.
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If they baptized any, if they did, how many?
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What their greatest ministry accomplishments were, we don't know.
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But they mattered enough to be there when the Spirit launched one of Christianity's greatest missionary movements.
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So not everyone whose name appears in God's story becomes famous.
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Some people are just faithful, standing in a room when God does something new.
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And they all have a part to play.
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Because somehow in Jesus they've become a church.
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So we note with emphasis that Paul's missionary journey begins in community.
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He doesn't wake up and say, I think I'll be a missionary today.
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He's being formed by the community, being formed by the church, and he's been encouraged and he's been serving and he's been worshiping.
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Well I think that takes us again into a another area.
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The church simply isn't a place where people come.
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Although for the most part we like to come to church.
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These are our people, this is our community.
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But it's also a people who are sent, and that's something worth noticing.
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And again, Paul didn't send himself.
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We all have gifts.
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Paul had an extraordinary calling, but again, he wasn't a lone ranger.
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His calling was recognized and affirmed.
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And there's great wisdom in that, the affirmation of community.
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Because sometimes we're quick to say, and and God told me to do this, or God told me to say this.
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And maybe God did.
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But maybe he didn't.
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And so God has given us community to uh discern the pattern of God's call together.
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And sometimes people see things in us that we don't see in ourselves.
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And friends, that can be anyone, right?
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A teacher, a pastor, a friend, a parent.
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Someone says, You have a gift for this.
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You have the gift of hospitality.
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Maybe you should consider this.
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You could help someone in this area, and suddenly a door opens.
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And Barnabas had been doing something like that with Paul.
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And now the church recognizes this and says, Go.
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Well, that's where it gets tricky.
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What does that even mean?
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Well, Paul and Barnabas they leave Antioch and they travel to Cyprus, and that, of course, is the modern-day Turkey, and they preach, they teach, they meet people, some welcome them and some don't.
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They oppose them.
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And the text doesn't indicate that they know everything that's going to happen.
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They really have no clue what's going to happen.
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They don't have the whole journey mapped out.
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They simply know God has called them to go.
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So sometimes we imagine faith.
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Well, faith, we like to know the entire destination.
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It's just helpful.
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We like to know the entire future.
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But sometimes I've learned that faith means enough light just for the next step.
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You don't need to know the whole road.
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You just need to know the next faithful step.
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We know people in our lives that are facing decisions that you don't know where they're going to lead.
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You don't know where everything's going to work out.
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And we just don't know where the road ends.
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So maybe our question is, what's my next faithful step?
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That may be enough for now.
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And as Paul and Barnabas travel, the gospel keeps crossing boundaries.
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Jew, Gentile, insider, outsider, people who were expected to belong, and many, many people who weren't.
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And that becomes one of Paul's greatest themes that we're going to learn over the next few weeks.
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And it's it's simple, but it's powerful.
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The grace of God is bigger than any boundaries we create.
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And that's going to matter a whole lot when we get into some of the letters.
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We're going to dive into Galatians a bit next week, where we learn about the gospel of grace.
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So Paul isn't simply asking, how do we get more people to believe?
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He's asking, what kind of community does the gospel of Jesus Christ create?
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And it's one, of course, defined by Jesus.
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So his message is not simply be nicer, try harder, become more religious.
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Paul proclaims Jesus, his death, his resurrection, forgiveness, new life, grace.
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And Paul says that this all happens through Jesus.
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People are made right with God, not through religious performance, not through heritage, and not through being a part of the right group.
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Well, the road gets difficult when this message is being proclaimed.
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And Luke doesn't romanticize that part of Paul's ministry.
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Not at all.
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We see the gospel moving, but not everyone applauds.
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There's fierce opposition, there's rejection, there's conflict, and eventually in Lystra, Paul is stoned.
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They drag him outside the city and they think he's dead.
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But Paul's a resilient guy.
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So what does he do?
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He gets up and goes back into the city.
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Goes back into the city.
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Probably for more.
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We don't know.
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So I'm not suggesting that Christian faith means we ignore danger.
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Absolutely not.
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We don't stay in abusive situations or situations that cause harm.
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But Paul demonstrates something important.
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Opposition doesn't automatically mean we're on the wrong road.
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Sometimes we assume if God is in this, it's got to go smoothly.
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And that's just not the reality, and it's not really the biblical story.
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Jesus experienced opposition, the apostles experienced opposition, and now, of course, Paul experienced fierce opposition.
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So faithfulness doesn't guarantee an easy road.
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Sometimes it just means continuing because you know in your spirit why you're doing it.
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So let's talk a little about success.
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What does success look like?
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And uh I've learned over the years, having many friends who are pastors, it's measured in so many different ways.
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Often in numbers.
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But there's different metrics, as I've learned.
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So Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch.
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Um they call the church together, and Luke says they reported.
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They reported all that God had done through them.
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So not look what I accomplished.
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He says, look what God has done.
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Which takes the pressure off ourselves, doesn't it?
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Because God uses us.
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But at the end of the day, it's up to God.
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Well, they give the report.
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Um, and again, it's a mixed report, but the gospel was being proclaimed.
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Yes, there is opposition, but Paul continues to remind us that we're just called to faithfulness.
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That's the message, and God takes care of the results.
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Well, friends, what does it mean to be sent today?
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And I've had so many illustrations come to mind this week.
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Um, that's where Paul's story meets all of our stories.
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Um of us, well, might get on a ship and travel across the Roman Empire.
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I would suggest it's probably on a cruise ship, not to be not to be sent on a missionary journey.
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But um what does it mean to be sent today?
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Now, for those of us who grew up in the church, especially with young families and uh, you know, the missionaries would come, usually in the summer.
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They'd be home on furlough and usually bringing slides, which sometimes meant for a long evening, but I digress.
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Um but in the church there was a map of all the places around the world where our church at the time supported missionaries doing wonderful, wonderful work.
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There was tremendous commitment, there was support from the church, and uh it's something that I really struggled with.
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I had no interest in being sent to, as described, a foreign field.
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Um and that's that's okay.
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Um now the song I'm gonna invite you to listen to on the podcast.
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I didn't want to take our time today with that, kind of pokes fun at that.
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I mean, we're comfortable where we are.
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Um so then I got thinking about being sent today.
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Well, Esther does these beautiful cards when it's a birthday or a special occasion.
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That's being sent.
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Brother George, rain or shine, Wednesday, you want a hamburger, you're homeless in New Market, even if you're not homeless, go see George.
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52 weeks out of the year on a Wednesday, no matter.
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The temperature, no matter whether it's raining or sunny, Georgia's serving with a with a group of committed people right in town.
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You've met some of you who are here in the summer, met my friends Connie and Jeff that I met in the pool.
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They quietly go to Cuba twice a year just to serve.
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They've connected somehow with a church and a group in Cuba.
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They don't talk a lot about it.
00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:59.179
They've shared it with Sherry and myself over dinner, and they pack suitcases full of stuff and they just go and support.
00:22:59.739 --> 00:23:00.939
That's being sent.
00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:06.299
Because again, I say good sociology usually lines up with good theology.
00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:14.299
I think of people who were instrumental in my life and part of my journey.
00:23:14.459 --> 00:23:23.099
I joined a fellowship group that was a safe place, and you would have heard a little about it last spring from Paul Tuck, Dismas Fellowship.
00:23:23.739 --> 00:23:36.379
And there I spent time in community with volunteers who just felt committed to the to the reintegration of men who had been to prison.
00:23:37.419 --> 00:23:43.019
And end up the anteolittle working with Mennonite Central Committee.
00:23:43.739 --> 00:24:01.979
I worked with many volunteers who felt strongly that even the worst of the worst, those who had offended sexually, deserved to be appropriately reintegrated in the community, which required work.
00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:07.739
It required accountability, it required paperwork, it required all kinds of stuff.
00:24:07.899 --> 00:24:18.059
But the commitment was there that reconciliation was God's God's heart for all of us.
00:24:19.179 --> 00:24:30.299
So there's a there's a serious spiritual question underneath all of our thoughts of being a missionary in a foreign field.
00:24:34.139 --> 00:24:41.019
The question is, are we willing to follow God when the assignment is not so comfortable?
00:24:41.179 --> 00:24:43.419
It's not familiar and convenient.
00:24:44.379 --> 00:24:49.819
Because sometimes God asks us to do stuff that takes us out of our comfort zone.
00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:59.259
And so is there a place, a person, a ministry, or calling where I might say to God, anywhere, but not there.
00:25:00.219 --> 00:25:05.819
And I know I can identify some that are a struggle, and I suspect all of us can.
00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:09.659
So we don't live in guilt with that.
00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:13.659
There's some practical things we can do.
00:25:14.299 --> 00:25:17.819
Number one, just pay attention to where you are.
00:25:18.459 --> 00:25:19.979
We don't have to overthink this.
00:25:20.219 --> 00:25:23.019
God has us placed where he wants us.
00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:27.099
Your mission filled maybe already around you.
00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:28.619
I hear stories.
00:25:28.939 --> 00:25:36.059
I know how many of you connect with people in the community and just model the heart of Jesus.
00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:46.139
Families, workplace, neighborhoods, coffee shops, friends, the people you encounter all the time.
00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:48.699
Just pay attention where you're already placed.
00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:52.139
So the question isn't always, where's God sending me today?
00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:56.939
Sometimes the question is, who has God already placed in my life?
00:25:57.259 --> 00:26:01.739
So being sent begins with paying attention.
00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:08.859
So yesterday morning I woke up a little crankier than normal, as Sherry would say.
00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:15.259
She's at the trailer, and of course I wake up early, and now it's dark, and boy, it's cold in the house.
00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:17.500
So I look at the thermometer.
00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:23.259
I'm still on Fahrenheit, sorry, but it's 64 degrees, and I'm like, I should put the heat on.
00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:26.459
I'm very resistant to putting the heat on before Thanksgiving.
00:26:26.699 --> 00:26:32.219
But I I at least turn the air conditioning off and moved it halfway.
00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:43.500
Well, it's only 10 after 6 by this point, and of course no one wants to be texted or phoned at 10 after 6, so I I discover that the Costco Business Center is open at 7.
00:26:43.659 --> 00:26:46.459
So done I go to the Costco Business Center.
00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:56.059
And um I get there and uh I was less cranky because well my my toy store is well the meat section.
00:26:56.139 --> 00:27:10.059
I like to go in into that cold area at the back and gaze lovingly at all the strip lines, and and I was far less cranky doing that, but then I flipped over and saw how much the strip lines were, and when did 300 become 600?
00:27:10.139 --> 00:27:12.299
And so then I was cranky again.
00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:22.699
Well, I got what I needed to get in in Costco, and I had had this little just this little niggling thought.
00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:26.939
I'd been recommended to go to Princess Auto to look at tarps.
00:27:28.139 --> 00:27:36.299
Um now, and it was Jacqueline, try Princess Auto, and I'm like, that's an auto store, blah, blah, blah.
00:27:36.379 --> 00:27:37.179
But I didn't say that.
00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:39.819
I just kept anyhow.
00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:41.979
For whatever reason, at 8 a.m.
00:27:42.219 --> 00:27:52.699
yesterday morning I go in the Princess Auto, and I look at the tarps and lovely selection of tarps, and there's all purpose, and then there's heavy duty.
00:27:52.939 --> 00:27:54.939
The heavy duty are twice as much.
00:27:56.219 --> 00:27:59.259
So I go talk to somebody.
00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:00.139
I don't know who they were.
00:28:00.299 --> 00:28:05.019
There were three capable-looking people standing there, and it wasn't that busy at eight in the morning.
00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:08.459
So, for whatever reason, I start a conversation with the manager.
00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:10.379
I said, I want to talk to you about these tarps.
00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:13.339
So he asks me what I'm doing.
00:28:13.419 --> 00:28:14.619
So I tell him what I'm doing.
00:28:14.939 --> 00:28:23.739
Part of the Harbor Church and got a little project happening, and we want to uh, you know, part of a kit, you know, tarps are very handy.
00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:27.819
They can go on the bottom to keep people warm, they can go on the top to keep people dry.
00:28:27.979 --> 00:28:32.539
And these all-purpose ones don't look quite as good as those ones there.
00:28:32.699 --> 00:28:34.219
Um, what's the difference?
00:28:34.459 --> 00:28:38.379
Well, he just said the heavy duty ones are twice as good.
00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:45.500
And then he looks at his phone and um asked me when I would be buying them, and I said, Well, shortly.
00:28:45.659 --> 00:28:46.939
When do you need me to buy them?
00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:48.699
You know, type of thing.
00:28:48.939 --> 00:28:58.059
And he basically says, I think you want the heavy duty tarps, and I will give you the heavy-duty tarps for the same price as the all-purpose tarps.
00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:06.699
If you so I gratefully accepted, I immediately took his name and said I would be back Wednesday.
00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:14.059
Asked him when he was going to be in next, and it was going to be Wednesday, and he gave me some boundaries, and uh I was sent.
00:29:15.259 --> 00:29:18.379
I didn't know it then, but I was sent.
00:29:18.539 --> 00:29:20.379
I never go in the Princess Auto.
00:29:20.939 --> 00:29:25.259
I think I've been once in my life, I've driven by it thousands of times.
00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:28.699
Jacqueline mentioned Princess Auto, I go in the Princess Auto.
00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:31.339
I think we're gonna have a good outcome.
00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:35.500
So just paying attention where God's placed us.
00:29:35.739 --> 00:29:42.459
A box was ticked with a good outcome, and my attitude for the whole day changed based on that.
00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:46.379
Well, being sent means making room.
00:29:47.419 --> 00:29:53.099
You know, we have to make room for others, and that can be challenging.
00:29:53.419 --> 00:29:57.819
So, who's God asking us to make room for as a community?
00:29:58.219 --> 00:30:09.419
The newcomer, those who don't fit, people of different beliefs, different politics, complicated stories, there's lots of those.
00:30:09.739 --> 00:30:15.739
The people who don't know the language of the church, sometimes we have our own language, as you're aware.
00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:19.259
Or maybe the person who just needs to be noticed.
00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:28.059
And again, sometimes being sent doesn't mean going anywhere, sometimes it just means making room.
00:30:30.139 --> 00:30:37.099
Number three, sometimes being sent means taking a risk, taking a risk for the sake of love.
00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:41.819
Ananias took a risk, big risk, huge risk.
00:30:42.219 --> 00:30:46.059
Barnabas took a risk, and they did not have all the answers.
00:30:46.299 --> 00:30:51.579
They had no idea how Saul's story would turn out.
00:30:52.139 --> 00:30:57.899
And that's a hard space to be because if it goes the other way, you can imagine the blowback.
00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:03.179
But they prayed and they obeyed and they were willing to take the next step.
00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:05.819
And sometimes that's all God asks of us.
00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:11.979
Not to know the whole journey, just take a small faithful step, whatever that looks like.
00:31:13.579 --> 00:31:20.059
And finally, being sent means believing that God can write a new chapter.
00:31:20.219 --> 00:31:24.059
And I think that's the most personal part of Paul's story to me.
00:31:24.939 --> 00:31:27.099
Paul has had a past.
00:31:29.979 --> 00:31:33.419
But Jesus isn't finished with any of it, friends.
00:31:34.139 --> 00:31:37.579
And I think that's a good takeaway for us this morning.
00:31:37.899 --> 00:31:40.219
Our story is not done.
00:31:41.179 --> 00:31:49.579
Our past individually and in community is part of the story, but we're not at the conclusion yet.
00:31:50.139 --> 00:31:56.699
So maybe there's people in our lives whose past we have allowed to become their permanent identity.
00:31:56.939 --> 00:32:04.619
And there's still a few like that in my life, but I'm grateful that the great majority have shown me tremendous grace.
00:32:05.579 --> 00:32:14.219
Ananias reminds us this morning that grace can say, I know what happened, and I still believe God can do something new.
00:32:14.619 --> 00:32:19.899
And that doesn't mean ignoring justice, it doesn't mean pretending wounds don't matter.
00:32:20.059 --> 00:32:20.699
They do.
00:32:20.939 --> 00:32:22.619
They absolutely do.
00:32:23.419 --> 00:32:26.619
It means that redemption is possible.
00:32:27.099 --> 00:32:35.500
So remember, we're not all called to preach, we're not all called to travel, we're not all called to leave a church, but every one of us can be sent.
00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:38.139
And it's simple.
00:32:38.379 --> 00:32:47.739
Just ask Jesus to show me where you're already at work and give me the courage to join you, because that's what happened in the early church.
00:32:47.979 --> 00:32:52.779
Nothing manufactured, just worshiping, praying, fastening, and listening.
00:32:52.939 --> 00:32:58.299
And when the Spirit spoke, they were willing to say yes.
00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:03.659
Barnabas and Saul were sent, but the whole church participated.
00:33:05.339 --> 00:33:10.539
So a final question, and I leave it with you as you uh go out into the week.
00:33:10.939 --> 00:33:13.179
Where is Jesus sending you this week?
00:33:14.539 --> 00:33:19.179
Maybe it's not across the world, maybe it's just across the street, but that's okay.
00:33:20.699 --> 00:33:31.019
As the church opens its hand and said, Go, may we be that kind of church, a church that makes room, a church that listens, and a church that just takes the next faithful step.
00:33:31.419 --> 00:33:42.539
Because I believe and I think the gospel teaches us, and certainly the teaching of Paul teaches us that God is still changing people, and we want to be part of that story.
00:33:43.179 --> 00:33:45.099
So let's just pray together.
00:33:46.779 --> 00:33:53.259
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your grace, your abounding grace and your mercy.
00:33:54.859 --> 00:34:02.139
I thank you for this community, a community of compassion, a community that cares locally and globally.
00:34:02.619 --> 00:34:06.299
Um may we follow you well this week.
00:34:06.619 --> 00:34:15.659
May we listen to other stories well and give us the discernment to just follow you in every step that we take.
00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:20.699
And Lord, I pray that you would bless the spaghetti dinner in a special way this evening.
00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:28.300
I know some clients of mine in New Market, and I know some of our homeless community are looking forward to it.
00:34:28.539 --> 00:34:33.099
Um just bless each hand that is preparing.
00:34:33.339 --> 00:34:38.779
Bless those who are planning to come and those who come to share in the cleanup.
00:34:38.940 --> 00:34:41.179
May you be honored in all that we do.
00:34:41.420 --> 00:34:42.539
In Jesus' name.
00:34:42.779 --> 00:34:43.420
Amen.
00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:23.179
All right.
00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:29.980
Well, last week we began our fall series, The Gospel on the Move, and uh we met Saul.
00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:39.740
And Saul was convinced he was on the right road, he was passionate, he was committed, absolutely certain that what he was doing was right.
00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:47.579
And then on the road to Damascus, Jesus stopped him in his tracks, and Paul met Jesus.
00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:51.500
And we learned that his life was turned around.
00:00:51.900 --> 00:00:55.659
And we also learned that there's more to the story.
00:00:55.980 --> 00:01:19.340
While Ananias immediately greeted Paul as Brother Saul, we do recognize that, although it's not outlined a great deal in the text, that there were other people in the surrounding community that may have been affected by Paul's actions that weren't so quick to greet Saul as brother Saul.
00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:28.620
And we looked at some of the questions around you know very lightly, around, you know, do we just forgive and immediately call brother?
00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:41.900
And uh we learned that healing takes time, reconciliation doesn't always happen immediately or sometimes not even become possible in the way it was before.
00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:48.380
But Ananias showed us last week something different and perhaps just as challenging.
00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:56.540
You know, he was willing to allow God's grace to create the possibility of a new relationship without denying the reality of the old one.
00:01:57.180 --> 00:02:03.820
So our takeaway was Brother Saul wasn't just saying what you did doesn't matter.
00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:08.939
It was saying what you did does not have to be the final word about who you are.
00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:12.060
So that brings us to today.
00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:17.900
Um and our big idea is God just doesn't simply turn us around.
00:02:18.139 --> 00:02:21.900
We don't stay there, he gives us somewhere to go.
00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:28.539
I don't think Saul encountered Jesus just to have a better life.
00:02:29.099 --> 00:02:34.620
He was given a mission, and that's where we pick up our story today and for the next few weeks.
00:02:35.020 --> 00:02:36.300
And it's simple.
00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:37.099
Sent.
00:02:37.980 --> 00:02:45.900
Paul was sent because the gospel, as you trace it from Acts on, is on the move.
00:02:47.420 --> 00:02:53.980
Well, our story this morning begins in Antioch, and Luke introduces several of the church's leaders.
00:02:54.379 --> 00:03:02.300
And we sometimes breeze through this section, but I think in today's context, they're really important.
00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:11.099
So Luke names five leaders, but only Saul and Barnabas become major characters in the story.
00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:24.539
The other three are almost hidden from us, yet they're significant enough to be named among the prophets and teachers who were praying, fasting, and discerning the Spirit's direction.
00:03:25.980 --> 00:03:28.780
So, who are the early church leaders?
00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:32.780
Well, probably the most prevalent is Barnabas.
00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:36.620
He was the encourager, and Barnabas was a bridge builder.
00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:41.180
His real name was Joseph, a Lev from Cyprus.
00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:48.620
So the apostles named him Barnabas, and that's traditionally understood as the son of encouragement.
00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:55.180
So he first appears in Acts selling a field and giving the proceeds to the apostles.
00:03:56.140 --> 00:04:01.740
And he becomes really important because he's the one who is willing to take a chance on people.
00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:09.740
When Saul first came to Jerusalem after his conversion, of course, the disciples are afraid of him.
00:04:09.980 --> 00:04:11.259
And rightly so.
00:04:11.819 --> 00:04:14.780
Saul had caused a lot of harm.
00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:21.099
But Barnabas, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, takes Saul to the apostles and vouches for him.
00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:23.659
That's Acts chapter 9, 27.
00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:33.420
And when the church in Jerusalem hears about Gentiles becoming question, Christians in Antioch, that would have been scandalous in the day.
00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:35.899
They send Barnabas to investigate.
00:04:36.620 --> 00:04:44.220
Barnabas sees what God is doing and rejoices rather than trying to control it.
00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:49.980
He then goes looking for Saul and Tarsus and brings them to Antioch.
00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:58.620
And eventually, in Acts chapter 13, our text for today, Barnabas and Saul are sent out together.
00:05:00.139 --> 00:05:04.699
So there's something important here as we continue on this fall.
00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:10.540
Paul's ministry does not begin with Paul believing in himself.
00:05:10.780 --> 00:05:15.819
Paul was a strong guy, a highly competent guy, a passionate guy.
00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:22.780
But Paul's ministry really believes with Barnabas believing in Saul.
00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:31.660
So when Acts chapter 13 begins, Barnabas is listed first, if you'll notice.
00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:34.780
And Saul's listed last.
00:05:35.740 --> 00:05:39.420
And it takes a while for that to shift.
00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:43.259
Now there's others in the story, of course.
00:05:44.379 --> 00:05:47.980
Simeon called Niger, and he's a man we know nothing about.
00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:52.540
Luke just simply names him.
00:05:53.259 --> 00:06:04.540
Many interpreters would think this indicates that Simeon was a black man, but we cannot establish this with certainty.
00:06:05.019 --> 00:06:05.980
We're just not sure.
00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:07.819
There's no biography.
00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:13.579
And that silence is actually worth noticing because he's just a character.
00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:19.579
He wasn't Simeon, the great evangelist, you know, one of the team on the power play.
00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:22.300
He's simply called Simeon.
00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:25.500
And then Niger, one of the early church leaders.
00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:33.660
So this is a diverse community of leadership that's developing.
00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:44.300
And this is where the Holy Spirit chooses missionaries, friend, not the ones that have everything together.
00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:47.740
Number three is Lucius of Cyrene.
00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:52.699
Probably part of the Gentile missionary movement.
00:06:53.180 --> 00:07:00.699
Cyrene was in North Africa, which is now Libya, and there was a substantial Jewish population there.
00:07:01.579 --> 00:07:07.019
So people from Cyrene were already playing a role in the spread of the gospel.
00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:18.699
And earlier on in Acts, we're told that some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and began speaking to Greeks about Jesus.
00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:31.420
So we can speculate quite reasonably that Lucius was connected to that missionary movement, although we're not explicitly told that.
00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:38.860
Interesting that he's not identified as Lucius the Jew or Lucius the Greek.
00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:43.500
He's identified geographically where it was from, Lucius of Cyrene.
00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:49.500
So we're already seeing a reach of leadership far beyond Jerusalem.
00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:51.259
God has a plan.
00:07:52.620 --> 00:08:06.459
I think one of the most interesting characters to me, and again, we don't know much about, and I was looking for more information this week, Manin or Manan, a man who grew up with Herod.
00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:07.660
Hmm.
00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:20.540
Brought up with Herod, which was in question, named Herod Antipas, and he's the ruler that had John the Baptist executed.
00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:24.379
And he is in all of the passion narratives around Easter.
00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:44.539
So the Greek expression perhaps means someone who was raised alongside another person, maybe a childhood companion, but uh interesting that uh his um yeah, his connection would have been surrounded by violence and mayhem.
00:08:44.699 --> 00:08:45.980
What a contrast.
00:08:47.579 --> 00:08:52.059
Well, we've got quite a diverse group of people, don't we?
00:08:52.379 --> 00:09:01.580
Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Menin, and finally Paul, a Pharisee from Tarsus.
00:09:03.419 --> 00:09:09.340
And Luke chapter 13 starts off with no preamble, just powerfully.
00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:13.740
Now in the Church of Antioch, there were prophets and teachers.
00:09:14.060 --> 00:09:18.379
And of course the five are named, but Paul is named last.
00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:24.299
Paul is just a member of the team, he's not the team captain.
00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:31.259
So what are these five doing while the spirit is speaking?
00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:35.019
Well, they are worshiping the Lord, they were fasting.
00:09:36.620 --> 00:09:47.980
Interesting that the Spirit doesn't call Saul in isolation, the Spirit speaks in community of this diverse community of leaders.
00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:56.379
And then the Holy Spirit speaks, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them.
00:09:57.740 --> 00:09:59.740
So notice the order, church.
00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:06.220
The church prays, fasts, lays hands on them, and sends them.
00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:08.860
And I think this is an important point.
00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:13.100
Paul was a powerful, strong leader.
00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:17.899
His call calling was certainly personal.
00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:23.899
It just was given his journey.
00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:26.779
Yet it was never private.
00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:31.500
It was done in the context of community.
00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.659
And the church helped him discern the call.
00:10:36.299 --> 00:10:46.220
So before Paul became the great missionary of Acts, he started as simply one of the five leaders sitting around a table in Antioch.
00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:51.100
Barnabas had a pass in Jerusalem.
00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:56.060
Simeon carried a name that may have identified him as black.
00:10:56.299 --> 00:10:59.419
Lucius came from North Africa.
00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:02.539
Manin had grown up around Herod.
00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:09.419
And Saul had once hunted Christians for something to do, believing he was right.
00:11:10.379 --> 00:11:15.179
And together, this diverse bunch worshiped together, they fasted.
00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:18.139
Most importantly, they listen.
00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:23.659
And I think that's the diverse community.
00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:25.820
That's a great place to become.
00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:30.139
A community that has their ears on, as I like to say.
00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:37.980
And another interesting point here, three out of the five virtually disappear from the biblical record.
00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:40.460
We have no idea what they preached.
00:11:40.700 --> 00:11:44.220
If they baptized any, if they did, how many?
00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:49.580
What their greatest ministry accomplishments were, we don't know.
00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:56.700
But they mattered enough to be there when the Spirit launched one of Christianity's greatest missionary movements.
00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:05.740
So not everyone whose name appears in God's story becomes famous.
00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:12.379
Some people are just faithful, standing in a room when God does something new.
00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:14.700
And they all have a part to play.
00:12:14.779 --> 00:12:17.179
Because somehow in Jesus they've become a church.
00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:25.659
So we note with emphasis that Paul's missionary journey begins in community.
00:12:26.460 --> 00:12:29.740
He doesn't wake up and say, I think I'll be a missionary today.
00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:39.820
He's being formed by the community, being formed by the church, and he's been encouraged and he's been serving and he's been worshiping.
00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:49.259
Well I think that takes us again into a another area.
00:12:50.060 --> 00:12:53.419
The church simply isn't a place where people come.
00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:57.500
Although for the most part we like to come to church.
00:12:57.740 --> 00:12:59.899
These are our people, this is our community.
00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:05.740
But it's also a people who are sent, and that's something worth noticing.
00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:08.860
And again, Paul didn't send himself.
00:13:09.659 --> 00:13:11.259
We all have gifts.
00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:17.740
Paul had an extraordinary calling, but again, he wasn't a lone ranger.
00:13:17.899 --> 00:13:20.779
His calling was recognized and affirmed.
00:13:21.899 --> 00:13:26.460
And there's great wisdom in that, the affirmation of community.
00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:34.940
Because sometimes we're quick to say, and and God told me to do this, or God told me to say this.
00:13:35.419 --> 00:13:36.860
And maybe God did.
00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:40.539
But maybe he didn't.
00:13:41.419 --> 00:13:48.700
And so God has given us community to uh discern the pattern of God's call together.
00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:53.500
And sometimes people see things in us that we don't see in ourselves.
00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:57.259
And friends, that can be anyone, right?
00:13:57.419 --> 00:14:00.299
A teacher, a pastor, a friend, a parent.
00:14:00.700 --> 00:14:03.340
Someone says, You have a gift for this.
00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:06.139
You have the gift of hospitality.
00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:08.940
Maybe you should consider this.
00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:13.259
You could help someone in this area, and suddenly a door opens.
00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:17.740
And Barnabas had been doing something like that with Paul.
00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:22.620
And now the church recognizes this and says, Go.
00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:28.779
Well, that's where it gets tricky.
00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:30.779
What does that even mean?
00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:48.779
Well, Paul and Barnabas they leave Antioch and they travel to Cyprus, and that, of course, is the modern-day Turkey, and they preach, they teach, they meet people, some welcome them and some don't.
00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:50.460
They oppose them.
00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:57.980
And the text doesn't indicate that they know everything that's going to happen.
00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:00.860
They really have no clue what's going to happen.
00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:03.259
They don't have the whole journey mapped out.
00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:07.500
They simply know God has called them to go.
00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:12.379
So sometimes we imagine faith.
00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:17.019
Well, faith, we like to know the entire destination.
00:15:17.179 --> 00:15:18.060
It's just helpful.
00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:20.299
We like to know the entire future.
00:15:20.539 --> 00:15:26.299
But sometimes I've learned that faith means enough light just for the next step.
00:15:26.779 --> 00:15:28.700
You don't need to know the whole road.
00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:32.460
You just need to know the next faithful step.
00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:41.179
We know people in our lives that are facing decisions that you don't know where they're going to lead.
00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:44.620
You don't know where everything's going to work out.
00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:48.620
And we just don't know where the road ends.
00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:53.179
So maybe our question is, what's my next faithful step?
00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:55.019
That may be enough for now.
00:15:56.539 --> 00:16:01.340
And as Paul and Barnabas travel, the gospel keeps crossing boundaries.
00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:11.899
Jew, Gentile, insider, outsider, people who were expected to belong, and many, many people who weren't.
00:16:13.259 --> 00:16:19.340
And that becomes one of Paul's greatest themes that we're going to learn over the next few weeks.
00:16:19.659 --> 00:16:22.460
And it's it's simple, but it's powerful.
00:16:22.700 --> 00:16:26.700
The grace of God is bigger than any boundaries we create.
00:16:27.659 --> 00:16:30.860
And that's going to matter a whole lot when we get into some of the letters.
00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:37.419
We're going to dive into Galatians a bit next week, where we learn about the gospel of grace.
00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:41.820
So Paul isn't simply asking, how do we get more people to believe?
00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:48.299
He's asking, what kind of community does the gospel of Jesus Christ create?
00:16:49.580 --> 00:16:54.539
And it's one, of course, defined by Jesus.
00:16:56.139 --> 00:17:03.820
So his message is not simply be nicer, try harder, become more religious.
00:17:04.379 --> 00:17:13.099
Paul proclaims Jesus, his death, his resurrection, forgiveness, new life, grace.
00:17:13.659 --> 00:17:16.619
And Paul says that this all happens through Jesus.
00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:26.299
People are made right with God, not through religious performance, not through heritage, and not through being a part of the right group.
00:17:28.139 --> 00:17:35.659
Well, the road gets difficult when this message is being proclaimed.
00:17:35.819 --> 00:17:39.259
And Luke doesn't romanticize that part of Paul's ministry.
00:17:39.659 --> 00:17:40.779
Not at all.
00:17:41.179 --> 00:17:45.500
We see the gospel moving, but not everyone applauds.
00:17:45.739 --> 00:17:54.059
There's fierce opposition, there's rejection, there's conflict, and eventually in Lystra, Paul is stoned.
00:17:54.859 --> 00:17:58.539
They drag him outside the city and they think he's dead.
00:17:58.779 --> 00:18:01.099
But Paul's a resilient guy.
00:18:01.339 --> 00:18:02.299
So what does he do?
00:18:02.459 --> 00:18:05.419
He gets up and goes back into the city.
00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:08.779
Goes back into the city.
00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:10.459
Probably for more.
00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:12.219
We don't know.
00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:18.939
So I'm not suggesting that Christian faith means we ignore danger.
00:18:19.179 --> 00:18:20.299
Absolutely not.
00:18:20.459 --> 00:18:26.299
We don't stay in abusive situations or situations that cause harm.
00:18:27.099 --> 00:18:29.579
But Paul demonstrates something important.
00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:35.419
Opposition doesn't automatically mean we're on the wrong road.
00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:40.139
Sometimes we assume if God is in this, it's got to go smoothly.
00:18:40.939 --> 00:18:45.339
And that's just not the reality, and it's not really the biblical story.
00:18:45.659 --> 00:18:54.299
Jesus experienced opposition, the apostles experienced opposition, and now, of course, Paul experienced fierce opposition.
00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:59.500
So faithfulness doesn't guarantee an easy road.
00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:07.019
Sometimes it just means continuing because you know in your spirit why you're doing it.
00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:11.419
So let's talk a little about success.
00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:13.419
What does success look like?
00:19:14.139 --> 00:19:21.739
And uh I've learned over the years, having many friends who are pastors, it's measured in so many different ways.
00:19:22.059 --> 00:19:23.739
Often in numbers.
00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:27.659
But there's different metrics, as I've learned.
00:19:28.139 --> 00:19:31.179
So Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch.
00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:35.899
Um they call the church together, and Luke says they reported.
00:19:36.779 --> 00:19:41.179
They reported all that God had done through them.
00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:43.739
So not look what I accomplished.
00:19:44.459 --> 00:19:47.579
He says, look what God has done.
00:19:47.899 --> 00:19:50.699
Which takes the pressure off ourselves, doesn't it?
00:19:51.179 --> 00:19:52.939
Because God uses us.
00:19:53.179 --> 00:19:55.419
But at the end of the day, it's up to God.
00:19:58.699 --> 00:20:01.739
Well, they give the report.
00:20:02.219 --> 00:20:09.979
Um, and again, it's a mixed report, but the gospel was being proclaimed.
00:20:10.219 --> 00:20:17.979
Yes, there is opposition, but Paul continues to remind us that we're just called to faithfulness.
00:20:18.139 --> 00:20:21.819
That's the message, and God takes care of the results.
00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:26.379
Well, friends, what does it mean to be sent today?
00:20:26.939 --> 00:20:31.099
And I've had so many illustrations come to mind this week.
00:20:31.179 --> 00:20:35.579
Um, that's where Paul's story meets all of our stories.
00:20:35.899 --> 00:20:40.699
Um of us, well, might get on a ship and travel across the Roman Empire.
00:20:40.779 --> 00:20:46.299
I would suggest it's probably on a cruise ship, not to be not to be sent on a missionary journey.
00:20:46.459 --> 00:20:50.379
But um what does it mean to be sent today?
00:20:50.779 --> 00:21:01.179
Now, for those of us who grew up in the church, especially with young families and uh, you know, the missionaries would come, usually in the summer.
00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:07.579
They'd be home on furlough and usually bringing slides, which sometimes meant for a long evening, but I digress.
00:21:07.739 --> 00:21:19.500
Um but in the church there was a map of all the places around the world where our church at the time supported missionaries doing wonderful, wonderful work.
00:21:20.139 --> 00:21:29.339
There was tremendous commitment, there was support from the church, and uh it's something that I really struggled with.
00:21:29.659 --> 00:21:37.819
I had no interest in being sent to, as described, a foreign field.
00:21:38.139 --> 00:21:42.459
Um and that's that's okay.
00:21:42.619 --> 00:21:46.779
Um now the song I'm gonna invite you to listen to on the podcast.
00:21:46.939 --> 00:21:50.779
I didn't want to take our time today with that, kind of pokes fun at that.
00:21:50.939 --> 00:21:53.419
I mean, we're comfortable where we are.
00:21:53.739 --> 00:21:58.619
Um so then I got thinking about being sent today.
00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:06.219
Well, Esther does these beautiful cards when it's a birthday or a special occasion.
00:22:06.379 --> 00:22:07.739
That's being sent.
00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:18.539
Brother George, rain or shine, Wednesday, you want a hamburger, you're homeless in New Market, even if you're not homeless, go see George.
00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:22.299
52 weeks out of the year on a Wednesday, no matter.
00:22:22.939 --> 00:22:33.099
The temperature, no matter whether it's raining or sunny, Georgia's serving with a with a group of committed people right in town.
00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:38.939
You've met some of you who are here in the summer, met my friends Connie and Jeff that I met in the pool.
00:22:39.099 --> 00:22:44.619
They quietly go to Cuba twice a year just to serve.
00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:49.739
They've connected somehow with a church and a group in Cuba.
00:22:49.899 --> 00:22:51.259
They don't talk a lot about it.
00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:59.179
They've shared it with Sherry and myself over dinner, and they pack suitcases full of stuff and they just go and support.
00:22:59.739 --> 00:23:00.939
That's being sent.
00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:06.299
Because again, I say good sociology usually lines up with good theology.
00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:14.299
I think of people who were instrumental in my life and part of my journey.
00:23:14.459 --> 00:23:23.099
I joined a fellowship group that was a safe place, and you would have heard a little about it last spring from Paul Tuck, Dismas Fellowship.
00:23:23.739 --> 00:23:36.379
And there I spent time in community with volunteers who just felt committed to the to the reintegration of men who had been to prison.
00:23:37.419 --> 00:23:43.019
And end up the anteolittle working with Mennonite Central Committee.
00:23:43.739 --> 00:24:01.979
I worked with many volunteers who felt strongly that even the worst of the worst, those who had offended sexually, deserved to be appropriately reintegrated in the community, which required work.
00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:07.739
It required accountability, it required paperwork, it required all kinds of stuff.
00:24:07.899 --> 00:24:18.059
But the commitment was there that reconciliation was God's God's heart for all of us.
00:24:19.179 --> 00:24:30.299
So there's a there's a serious spiritual question underneath all of our thoughts of being a missionary in a foreign field.
00:24:34.139 --> 00:24:41.019
The question is, are we willing to follow God when the assignment is not so comfortable?
00:24:41.179 --> 00:24:43.419
It's not familiar and convenient.
00:24:44.379 --> 00:24:49.819
Because sometimes God asks us to do stuff that takes us out of our comfort zone.
00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:59.259
And so is there a place, a person, a ministry, or calling where I might say to God, anywhere, but not there.
00:25:00.219 --> 00:25:05.819
And I know I can identify some that are a struggle, and I suspect all of us can.
00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:09.659
So we don't live in guilt with that.
00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:13.659
There's some practical things we can do.
00:25:14.299 --> 00:25:17.819
Number one, just pay attention to where you are.
00:25:18.459 --> 00:25:19.979
We don't have to overthink this.
00:25:20.219 --> 00:25:23.019
God has us placed where he wants us.
00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:27.099
Your mission filled maybe already around you.
00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:28.619
I hear stories.
00:25:28.939 --> 00:25:36.059
I know how many of you connect with people in the community and just model the heart of Jesus.
00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:46.139
Families, workplace, neighborhoods, coffee shops, friends, the people you encounter all the time.
00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:48.699
Just pay attention where you're already placed.
00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:52.139
So the question isn't always, where's God sending me today?
00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:56.939
Sometimes the question is, who has God already placed in my life?
00:25:57.259 --> 00:26:01.739
So being sent begins with paying attention.
00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:08.859
So yesterday morning I woke up a little crankier than normal, as Sherry would say.
00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:15.259
She's at the trailer, and of course I wake up early, and now it's dark, and boy, it's cold in the house.
00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:17.500
So I look at the thermometer.
00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:23.259
I'm still on Fahrenheit, sorry, but it's 64 degrees, and I'm like, I should put the heat on.
00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:26.459
I'm very resistant to putting the heat on before Thanksgiving.
00:26:26.699 --> 00:26:32.219
But I I at least turn the air conditioning off and moved it halfway.
00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:43.500
Well, it's only 10 after 6 by this point, and of course no one wants to be texted or phoned at 10 after 6, so I I discover that the Costco Business Center is open at 7.
00:26:43.659 --> 00:26:46.459
So done I go to the Costco Business Center.
00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:56.059
And um I get there and uh I was less cranky because well my my toy store is well the meat section.
00:26:56.139 --> 00:27:10.059
I like to go in into that cold area at the back and gaze lovingly at all the strip lines, and and I was far less cranky doing that, but then I flipped over and saw how much the strip lines were, and when did 300 become 600?
00:27:10.139 --> 00:27:12.299
And so then I was cranky again.
00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:22.699
Well, I got what I needed to get in in Costco, and I had had this little just this little niggling thought.
00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:26.939
I'd been recommended to go to Princess Auto to look at tarps.
00:27:28.139 --> 00:27:36.299
Um now, and it was Jacqueline, try Princess Auto, and I'm like, that's an auto store, blah, blah, blah.
00:27:36.379 --> 00:27:37.179
But I didn't say that.
00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:39.819
I just kept anyhow.
00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:41.979
For whatever reason, at 8 a.m.
00:27:42.219 --> 00:27:52.699
yesterday morning I go in the Princess Auto, and I look at the tarps and lovely selection of tarps, and there's all purpose, and then there's heavy duty.
00:27:52.939 --> 00:27:54.939
The heavy duty are twice as much.
00:27:56.219 --> 00:27:59.259
So I go talk to somebody.
00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:00.139
I don't know who they were.
00:28:00.299 --> 00:28:05.019
There were three capable-looking people standing there, and it wasn't that busy at eight in the morning.
00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:08.459
So, for whatever reason, I start a conversation with the manager.
00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:10.379
I said, I want to talk to you about these tarps.
00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:13.339
So he asks me what I'm doing.
00:28:13.419 --> 00:28:14.619
So I tell him what I'm doing.
00:28:14.939 --> 00:28:23.739
Part of the Harbor Church and got a little project happening, and we want to uh, you know, part of a kit, you know, tarps are very handy.
00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:27.819
They can go on the bottom to keep people warm, they can go on the top to keep people dry.
00:28:27.979 --> 00:28:32.539
And these all-purpose ones don't look quite as good as those ones there.
00:28:32.699 --> 00:28:34.219
Um, what's the difference?
00:28:34.459 --> 00:28:38.379
Well, he just said the heavy duty ones are twice as good.
00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:45.500
And then he looks at his phone and um asked me when I would be buying them, and I said, Well, shortly.
00:28:45.659 --> 00:28:46.939
When do you need me to buy them?
00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:48.699
You know, type of thing.
00:28:48.939 --> 00:28:58.059
And he basically says, I think you want the heavy duty tarps, and I will give you the heavy-duty tarps for the same price as the all-purpose tarps.
00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:06.699
If you so I gratefully accepted, I immediately took his name and said I would be back Wednesday.
00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:14.059
Asked him when he was going to be in next, and it was going to be Wednesday, and he gave me some boundaries, and uh I was sent.
00:29:15.259 --> 00:29:18.379
I didn't know it then, but I was sent.
00:29:18.539 --> 00:29:20.379
I never go in the Princess Auto.
00:29:20.939 --> 00:29:25.259
I think I've been once in my life, I've driven by it thousands of times.
00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:28.699
Jacqueline mentioned Princess Auto, I go in the Princess Auto.
00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:31.339
I think we're gonna have a good outcome.
00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:35.500
So just paying attention where God's placed us.
00:29:35.739 --> 00:29:42.459
A box was ticked with a good outcome, and my attitude for the whole day changed based on that.
00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:46.379
Well, being sent means making room.
00:29:47.419 --> 00:29:53.099
You know, we have to make room for others, and that can be challenging.
00:29:53.419 --> 00:29:57.819
So, who's God asking us to make room for as a community?
00:29:58.219 --> 00:30:09.419
The newcomer, those who don't fit, people of different beliefs, different politics, complicated stories, there's lots of those.
00:30:09.739 --> 00:30:15.739
The people who don't know the language of the church, sometimes we have our own language, as you're aware.
00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:19.259
Or maybe the person who just needs to be noticed.
00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:28.059
And again, sometimes being sent doesn't mean going anywhere, sometimes it just means making room.
00:30:30.139 --> 00:30:37.099
Number three, sometimes being sent means taking a risk, taking a risk for the sake of love.
00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:41.819
Ananias took a risk, big risk, huge risk.
00:30:42.219 --> 00:30:46.059
Barnabas took a risk, and they did not have all the answers.
00:30:46.299 --> 00:30:51.579
They had no idea how Saul's story would turn out.
00:30:52.139 --> 00:30:57.899
And that's a hard space to be because if it goes the other way, you can imagine the blowback.
00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:03.179
But they prayed and they obeyed and they were willing to take the next step.
00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:05.819
And sometimes that's all God asks of us.
00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:11.979
Not to know the whole journey, just take a small faithful step, whatever that looks like.
00:31:13.579 --> 00:31:20.059
And finally, being sent means believing that God can write a new chapter.
00:31:20.219 --> 00:31:24.059
And I think that's the most personal part of Paul's story to me.
00:31:24.939 --> 00:31:27.099
Paul has had a past.
00:31:29.979 --> 00:31:33.419
But Jesus isn't finished with any of it, friends.
00:31:34.139 --> 00:31:37.579
And I think that's a good takeaway for us this morning.
00:31:37.899 --> 00:31:40.219
Our story is not done.
00:31:41.179 --> 00:31:49.579
Our past individually and in community is part of the story, but we're not at the conclusion yet.
00:31:50.139 --> 00:31:56.699
So maybe there's people in our lives whose past we have allowed to become their permanent identity.
00:31:56.939 --> 00:32:04.619
And there's still a few like that in my life, but I'm grateful that the great majority have shown me tremendous grace.
00:32:05.579 --> 00:32:14.219
Ananias reminds us this morning that grace can say, I know what happened, and I still believe God can do something new.
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And that doesn't mean ignoring justice, it doesn't mean pretending wounds don't matter.
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They do.
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They absolutely do.
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It means that redemption is possible.
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So remember, we're not all called to preach, we're not all called to travel, we're not all called to leave a church, but every one of us can be sent.
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And it's simple.
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Just ask Jesus to show me where you're already at work and give me the courage to join you, because that's what happened in the early church.
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Nothing manufactured, just worshiping, praying, fastening, and listening.
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And when the Spirit spoke, they were willing to say yes.
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Barnabas and Saul were sent, but the whole church participated.
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So a final question, and I leave it with you as you uh go out into the week.
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Where is Jesus sending you this week?
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Maybe it's not across the world, maybe it's just across the street, but that's okay.
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As the church opens its hand and said, Go, may we be that kind of church, a church that makes room, a church that listens, and a church that just takes the next faithful step.
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Because I believe and I think the gospel teaches us, and certainly the teaching of Paul teaches us that God is still changing people, and we want to be part of that story.
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So let's just pray together.
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Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your grace, your abounding grace and your mercy.
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I thank you for this community, a community of compassion, a community that cares locally and globally.
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Um may we follow you well this week.
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May we listen to other stories well and give us the discernment to just follow you in every step that we take.
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And Lord, I pray that you would bless the spaghetti dinner in a special way this evening.
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I know some clients of mine in New Market, and I know some of our homeless community are looking forward to it.
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Um just bless each hand that is preparing.
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Bless those who are planning to come and those who come to share in the cleanup.
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May you be honored in all that we do.
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In Jesus' name.
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Amen.
