Sent Out by the Holy Spirit
A sermon based on Acts 13:1-5
Sunday, January 28, 2018 – Epiphany 3B (Confirmation)
Sometimes I'm sent out by my wife to run some errands or to do some shopping. Sometimes I get it right. More often I get it wrong. "What?! These are tomatoes. You never said they couldn't be in a can. The list didn't say 'fresh tomatoes.'" Or, "The list just said, 'cream of mushroom soup.' You never specified 'family size.'" Or, "Cuties, satsumas, clementines… what's the difference? They're all little baby oranges." Usually it's not that big of a deal, but sometimes I get sent back to the store.
Now Becky's not the only who sends me out to carry out tasks for her. God has sent me out too. I've been called by the Holy Spirit through this congregation to carry out the task of preaching and teaching the truth of God's Word, of administering the sacraments, of using law and gospel to confront and then comfort sinners.
And I'm not the only one here who's been called by God and sent out by the Holy Spirit. You too, confirmands, are called by God to go out now with the knowledge you've gained from the Word of God and to share it with others. You too, members, have been called by God to carry out the mission work of this church. You too, Christians, have been called by God to share the good news of his salvation with your friends and family, your neighbors and co-workers. This is the task we've all been given by God. Do we sometimes do that errand wrong? Do we sometimes leave it undone altogether?
Now, when I goof up the task for Becky, it's usually not that big of a deal. But when we goof up the task for God, it's always a big deal. So today we thank God that he sent out Jesus to carry out his mission for us. We thank God that he sent out missionaries to carry the message of his mission complete to us. And we joyfully recommit ourselves to carry out the work that he has sent us out to do. Our text for consideration is from Acts 13:1-5…
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
Wouldn't it be nice to have God whisper in your ear exactly what he wanted you to do? Wouldn't it be nice if we were called the same way Paul and Barnabas were, with explicit directions? Wouldn't it be nice to be called like the disciples were with clear instruction from Jesus himself every day?
Friends, Jesus has given us that that direction… in his Word. There God has given us the errands we are to run for him. He's made us his ambassadors. We are called to love, called to serve, called to use our gifts and abilities for something eternal, called to proclaim the word of God to those who need to hear it. God has no Plan B. You and I are his only plan to get the message out. It's our job. And it's our primary job in this life. Wherever else you work is your secondary mission that helps support you in the only work that will last for eternity.
But how well do we do the job entrusted to us? Outside of these walls, how many people have you talked to about your faith in the last month? How much have you given to support the spread of the gospel this year and how much have you spent on entertainment? How earnestly have you prayed for the lost souls in your neighborhood or in your family?
The challenge with carrying out our mission is that it almost always demands sacrifice.
For the church in Antioch, they had to give up two of their five pastors. "Well, they already had five pastors," you say, "How many more did they need? Why shouldn't some leave to go somewhere with zero pastors?" But Antioch had half a million residents. That's one pastor to 100,000 people. And even if the work load might easily be covered by the other three pastors, it may still have been hard for the members of the church to give up Paul and Barnabas, their beloved pastors and their friends.
And when it says, "they placed their hands on them and sent them off," it likely means more than just booting them out the door. They probably supplied Paul and Barnabas with the funds needed for travel, for lodging, for their food. So, while we often call them "Paul's missionary journeys," we might just as well call them "Antioch's missionary journeys," as the Christians there we funding the trips Paul took.
And think what Paul and Barnabas gave up. They gave up the comfort of the known to go on a mission full of unknowns. They gave up their homes and their beds to travel across the globe. They gave up their friends and church family to make new friends for Jesus. They made big sacrifices for the Kingdom because they were sent out by the Holy Spirit.
What have you sacrificed for the Kingdom lately? Have you risked ridicule, forfeited finances, lost loved ones to share your faith? The truth is, we don't like to give up our friends, our homes, our pastors for the sake of the gospel. We don't like to give up our money or our time to help the Kingdom of God expand. We don't even like to give up our comfort or our convenience. And so, even though we've been sent by God to carry out his vial mission, we too often don't. In our selfishness, we simply refuse to do the work that God has called us to do.
It usually isn't that big of a deal if I'm sent out by Becky to get some item and come back with the wrong thing. But when we're sent out by God to run an errand for him and don't do it, it is a big deal. An ambassador who refused to do what he was sent to do would not only lose his job, but could be fined or even jailed. And for refusing to do the job that God has entrusted to us, we deserve to be jailed for eternity in a hellish prison separated from God with no chance of parole.
But friends, I've been called by God, appointed by the Holy Spirit, set apart by the laying on of hands to share a message from God to you: "You are forgiven for the way you've failed to do the tasks that he has given you. You are forgiven because he sent off his Son to come to earth." And that gospel message didn't originate with me.
By God's grace, that message has come here by missionaries. Missionaries from Jerusalem took the message to Turkey. Missionaries from Turkey took the message to Greece. Missionaries from Greece took the message to Rome. Missionaries from Rome took the message to the rest of Europe. Missionaries from Germany brought the message to the American Midwest. Missionaries from the Midwest brought the message to the Pacific Northwest. Missionaries from the Pacific Northwest brought the message to Anchorage. And missionaries from Anchorage brought the message here.
Through that long chain of witnesses (or one much like it), the gospel has been handed down to you so that you know what God has done for you in Christ: That he sent his one and only Son on a mission of his own. "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law…" (Galatians 4:4-5) And, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10) And Jesus never turned aside from his mission, but did everything needed to bring it to completion: he lived a perfect life, he died an innocent death, he rose again to prove: "Mission Accomplished!"
By God's grace the gospel has been handed down to you through that long chain of missionaries. But a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So don't break the chain! Just as that gospel message didn't originate with us, let's not let it end with us either!
Josiah, Ayden, and Hailey, in a minute I'm going to lay my hand on you (or at least do my "holy hover") as you are confirmed. But to be clear, your confirmation is not graduation from the Word. You're not done. You don't know all you need to know yet; not even close. But on the contrary, already now, you are equipped to go on your way, sent out from here, sent on your way by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Word of God. And your mission is to your high school classmates and your high school teachers, then perhaps to your college classmates and teachers, or maybe to you co-workers and to your future spouse and kids.
And, of course, this mission isn't just for Hailey, Josiah, and Ayden. It's for all of us. You all are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9-10) You all are a part of the chain. So go share that message! Proclaim it boldly!
"But wait," you protest. "I'm not pastor. I can't preach." Maybe not. But you are a part of the mission nevertheless. Look again at that last sentence of our text: "John was with them as their helper."
This isn't the John who wrote the gospel, three epistles, and the book of Revelation. This isn't the John who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River either. In Acts 12(:12) we learn that his full name was John Mark. He was Barnabas' cousin (Colossians 4:10) and would later write the gospel of Mark. (Maybe he went by Mark so he wouldn't be confused with the "other John.")
But he wasn't a preacher. He was a helper. He was an assistant. That was his role. Some think he taught the children wherever Paul and Barnabas taught the adults. Others think he may have been their travel agent, helping them get to where they were going and to find adequate food and lodging along the way so they could focus on preaching and teaching. But whatever his role as helper was, he was vitally important to the mission. Paul and Barnabas wouldn't have been nearly as efficient in their job if not for the work of John Mark.
The point? You can carry out the mission entrusted to you in a number of ways. First, pray. As the old maxim goes, "If you want a better pastor, pray for the one you have." The same could be true if you want a better neighborhood, workplace, church, school, or synod. Second, serve. Cleaning church isn't a menial task. It's vitally important to our mission, giving a good first impression to our guests. So is smiling and warmly greeting them when you see those guests enter. Teaching the children, organizing events on a committee, operating a camera for a webcast, or clicking through PowerPoint slides, all help carry out our important task of passing the message along in that long chain of missionaries.
You don't need to have a call into public ministry to have a call. God has called you to be a part of our ministry here at Grace. You are sent on your way by the Holy Spirit. And he's called you to your own private ministry too as you serve your family, your co-workers, your neighbors, and your community. Use your gifts to serve him. You are a vitally important part of the mission.
Do it all in thanks to God for the mission he carried out for you. And do it with the strength that he gives.
Ever wonder why the Book of Acts is named that? What "acts" is it talking about? Well many Bible versions call the Book of Acts, "The Acts of the Apostles." And the book certainly does describe the apostles' actions as they spread the message around the Roman empire. But I prefer the title other Bibles give it: "The Acts of the Holy Spirit," as it was really he who was acting in and through the apostles. And it is he who is acting in and through you too.
So put your trust in him. Trust in the Holy Spirit who's not only sent you out, but has also promised to help, just as Jesus said, "You will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." (Luke 21:13-15)
And as we put our trust in him and go out to carry out our mission, not only called, but also empowered, by the Holy Spirit, we will keep the chain intact. And passing the gospel message to others, the Kingdom will expand. The fire will spread. As you go out, sent on your way by the Holy Spirt, and tell others, they, in turn will go out and tell more still. And on and on it will go until the last person hears, and Jesus returns, and we are sent off to heaven. So go, sent out by the Holy Spirit to tell the story of Jesus and his forgiving love. In his name, dear friends, amen.
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