Acts 13:1-5, 13-15, 26-41 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
“Missionary Journeys”
Summer Series: Joy for Our Journeys 9 Sunday, September 1, 2019
This morning I would like you to imagine that you are looking for a job when you run across this posting: “Help wanted. This job entails hard work and low pay. You will probably need a second job to take care of all your needs. The work may result in flogging, lashing, and other beatings including stonings. Shipwrecks are possible, and danger is a given. Sleeplessness, hunger, and thirst are all likely.” You probably don’t circle that listing for future reference. You probably wonder who would possibly ever consider a job like that. And while that wasn’t a real job posting, it is based on a real life experience. It is based on the way that the Apostle Paul describes his life of service in a letter to fellow Christians, a letter we know as 2 Corinthians (11:23-27). You might recall that Paul was not searching for a job when he found the career that would define his life. Paul, known more by Saul at that point, was content to do a work that he was very much committed to, the work of persecuting Christians. As a devout Jew, Paul believed that Christians had abandoned the true religion, were causing others to fall away, and needed to be stopped. Paul travelled from town to town rounding up and arresting as many Christians as he could. He was eager to have them stopped. Instead, God stopped Paul. Jesus appeared to Paul in a blinding light on one of his persecution journeys. He explained to Paul that he had died for his sins and was raised to life again. He led Paul to believe and trust in him as his Savior, and he called Paul to work for him. Paul’s job would be to lead other people to Jesus. Our Second Lesson this morning is from the start of Paul’s first missionary journey. As it details, Paul was serving the Christian congregation in Antioch as a prophet and teacher. He was sharing God’s Word with the people there. And God gave him an expanded assignment. Along with an associate, Barnabas, and an assistant, John, Paul was to take a journey. The Holy Spirit communicated to the church, we’re not told all the details of exactly how he went about this, but he communicated that these men should be set apart and commissioned for this work. There was fasting and prayer associated with this event. The leaders laid their hands on Paul and Barnabas to offer a blessing, and the men set out to new places to share God’s Word. They went to Seleucia, sailed to Cyprus, arrived at Salamis, and proclaimed the Word of God. They went on to Paphos and Perga and Pamphylia. John left to head back home, and Paul and Barnabas continued on to another city called Antioch. You notice that our Second Lesson included selected verses from Acts 13, so there are some details that have been left out, but this was the missionary journey. Paul and those with him went from place to place to share with people what God’s Word said. Again, some was left out of the portion we read today, but the chapter in Acts goes on to describe what Paul said in the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath Day in Antioch. Realize also that what is included here is just a small part of the very first missionary journey of Paul, which took him to more towns and synagogues. He went on two other missionary journeys and finally a journey to Rome before his career as a Christian missionary came to an end. And you already heard in the job listing introduction to this sermon about many of the difficulties that Paul faced. He didn’t accept money from the churches and people that he taught, so he worked to make income on the side of his missionary work. He was driven out of many towns, beaten, and even almost killed. But he kept going, and he kept working. He kept doing what he started as recorded in the account in front of us today. He kept journeying, and he kept pursuing his mission. He kept preaching God’s Word. Yes, Paul’s missionary journeys really centered on the message that he had to proclaim. And he proclaimed that message. To the Jews who had familiarity with the Old Testament, he referenced the Bible passages with which they were familiar and explained how they described Jesus. He spoke of men like David who prophesied about the Messiah. But most of all, Paul spoke about Jesus as the Messiah, as the one who kept God’s promises and came to be the Savior of the world. Recorded in the verses before us this morning is part of one of the sermons that Paul preached. It gives an idea about some of the things he may have repeated in other synagogues and in other towns. One thing is for certain, however, that Paul always preached about Jesus. We might summarize the point that Paul makes by