In the first 12 chapters of Acts we have looked at the way in which the church was born; the dramatic events of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the vibrant, joyful, loving community that came about as a result. There have been miracles, persecution and other problems, but through them all the church has grown and continued to spread geographically, moving outwards from Jerusalem to Samaria, and to Syria, where a significant church has been formed in Antioch.

As well as that we have got to know some of the characters of the early church. There is Peter and his fishermen friends from Galilee; they are the bold witnesses to Jesus death and resurrection and the first preachers of the gospel. We have come across Greek speaking Christians such as Philip and Stephen with their zeal and enthusiasm. We’ve been introduced to Barnabus from Cyprus, the big-hearted encourager; and we’ve met Saul, the zealous student of the scriptures who meets the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and becomes a zealous Christian believer.

Through all that has taken place God has been at work. The Holy Spirit has guided, God has spoken through dreams and visions and angels. God has answered prayers and the believers have known the reality of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives, giving them strength and courage in spite of opposition and difficulty. In Jesus they have found the reality of God’s love and forgiveness, and in their joy they cannot help but tell other what they have found.

So the gospel has spread. God has shown the church that in Jesus it doesn’t matter what race you are, all are welcome, all can receive the Holy Spirit, all can become children of God through Jesus. We come this morning to what turns out to be a turning point in the book of Acts. The story begins in the church in Antioch. This was the first church where large numbers of gentiles had become believers. This was the place where believers were first called Christians. It was where Barnabus and Saul had for some time been teaching the church, grounding the new believers in the scriptures, and in the good news of Jesus.

We find God speaking to the church leaders as they were gathered in worship and prayer. God tells the church that they must release Saul and Barnabus for a special task to which he is calling them. God is sending them out to travel the world, preaching the gospel as the Holy Spirit guides and directs them. You find from this point on, that the story of Acts now follows the travels of  initially Saul and Barnabus, but after Saul and Barnabus separate the story follows Paul in his mission to spread the gospel and teach and build up the churches, ultimately coming to Rome itself.

Our first lesson is that it is as the church gathers to worship and pray that God speaks. It is when we come together in the name of Jesus that he promises to be present and meet his people. It is as we gather in a right frame of heart and mind that we can hear what the Spirit has to say to the church. As God speaks, the church hears, and it obeys. Notice that God was asking the church to let go of two of its members.

The natural inclination of any church is to want to keep it’s members and for it’s numbers to increase, but often God does call people to move on to other things. When God does that, it’s important that we trust and obey in the matter.

Notice also, that in sending out Saul and Barnabus, the Spirit’s guidance was consistent with what Jesus had already taught was to be the task of the church. He had already told his followers to go into all the world and make disciples. When God speaks to or guides his church, it is always a good thing to ask if the guidance is consistent with what God has already revealed through Jesus or in the scriptures. It’s important also to note the way the believers together discerned God’s leading. Yes, God can and does guide individuals, but God’s purposes are fulfilled most effectively when the church as a body together discerns God’s leading, and together they commit themselves to God’s plans.

So they fast and pray and lay their hands on Saul and Barnabus and send them of. The first destination is Cyprus. I’m sure it is no coincidence that Barnabus himself came from Cyprus. He would have wanted the people from his own country to hear the gospel. Notice also that they take John Mark along with them. I suspect that would have been Barnabus’ idea. John was Barnabus’ nephew, and it would be so typical of his way of including and encouraging people to include John Mark on the trip.

Notice also when they arrive in Cyprus where they go to share the good news. They go to the Jewish synagogues. That always seems to have been the place where the missionaries began their work. The Jewish believers were expecting a messiah. Wherever he went, Saul always saw his first task as to show his fellow countrymen that their Messiah had come. In one of his letters Saul wrote that his task was to take the gospel first to the Jew and then to the gentile also. They did not engage in indiscriminate preaching in the market place where people would most likely have been indifferent to their message. They went to people who wanted to meet to worship God, that is how the Spirit led, both to Jews, but also to gentiles who had a desire to come to worship the one true God of Israel..

So the three of them travel across the island, preaching in the synagogues as they go. When the reach Paphos, the proconsul, the Roman governor of the island wants to meet them and hear what they have to say. The gospel really was the news, it was what people were talking about. If they had the technology then, Saul and Barnabus would have been interviewed on the breakfast shows in Cyprus. Notice too that Luke makes the comment that Sergius Paulus was an intelligent man. The gospel appeals to intelligent people. It’s the people who refuse to think, who don’t want to face the truth who just are not interested. The gospel is credible. The gospel is true.

Elymas the sorcerer is one of those who doesn’t want to know. He was Jewish, and he was also an attendant of the proconsul. Perhaps Sergius Paulus was a worshipper of the one God of Israel. Perhaps he regarded Elymas as a sort of chaplain or personal prophet to him; but he was actually a false prophet and opposes Barnabus and Saul getting near the proconsul. But when Paul confronts Elymas, God strikes him blind temporarily.

Many in our world regard the gospel as something that is second rate and unable to stand up to the test of truth or to intellectual scrutiny. Sometimes as Christians we may even be tempted to think that way, but it is not true. When people take an honest look at the gospel, they find it is real and true. Sergius Paulus found it to be so. He did witness the miracle of Elymas being struck blind. But what really impressed him was what he learned about Jesus. ‘He was amazed at the teaching about the Lord’ Luke tells us. Today, wise people want to know about Jesus too.

Notice also that a change is taking place in the relationship between Barnabus and Saul. We are told that Saul is also known as Paul. That is of course the name we usually know him by. It would have been his Roman name while Saul was his Jewish name. Paul it seems is the one who is becoming more prominent than Barnabus. It is Paul who confronts Elymas, it is Paul who takes the lead when they come to their next port of call, he is the one who stands up to speak in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. That is the sort of thing that can cause problems. People can become jealous if others are getting more of the limelight. But that doesn’t seem to be happening here. Barnabus seems to recognise Paul’s gifts and happy to let him take the lead. That is a truly Christian example for us; pride and jealousy had no place in the relationship between Barnabus and Paul.

Pisidian Antioch, the next place that we are told they preach is in present day Turkey. They caught a ship that was sailing north from Cyprus and landed in Perga. We are told that John Mark left them at that point and returned to Jerusalem. We know from later comments that Paul felt that John had let them down by leaving. But Barnabus and Paul continue inland. The come to Pisidian Antioch, and go into the synagogue, just as they had in Cyprus. They are given the opportunity to speak and Paul, starting with the Old Testament story tells them that the messiah has come, just as the scriptures promised.

He tells them about Jesus, about his death and resurrection. He shows them how Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promises to his people from the Old Testament. The people were pleased to hear what Paul and Barnabus had to say. They asked them to come back and tell them more the next Sabbath. Many of those who had heard what had been said followed Paul and Barnabus and talked with them.

Luke tells us that this group consisted both of Jews, and also devout gentiles who had accepted the Jewish faith. Paul and Barnabus encouraged them in their faith. The preaching of the gospel had obviously caused a stir. It was the subject that everyone was talking about because when Paul and Barnabus came to the Synagogue the next Sabbath, almost the whole City had come to hear what they had got to say.

But that was when the trouble started. The Jews became jealous. They were God’s chosen people. The messiah was their messiah. They simply reacted against the possibility of all and sundry being welcomed into God’s family. That is one vital aspect of the gospel. All who repent are welcome, no matter what their race or gender. It is not however a natural human reaction to welcome and embrace people of different nationality or background. Besides that, with good reason part of the Jewish tradition was to remain apart from others as God’s covenant people.

Many found it impossible to accept gentiles as their equals. But the gentiles were glad. Many believed. Yet human jealousy is a powerful and destructive force; the Jewish community had influential friends. They stirred up trouble for Paul and Barnabus, and they were expelled from the area.

But one thing that they could not do was to take away what those who had accepted the gospel had found. They had entered into a knowledge of God’s love and forgiveness for them. They knew the reality of the Holy Spirit within their lives. As Luke puts it, the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The gospel is always at heart joyful news; we have reason for joy today because of God’s love to us in Jesus.

We have looked at part of the story of the first missionary journey. It tells us of how the gospel impacted on the lives of people long ago. Some opposed and rejected it, mainly out of jealousy and resentment. But those who believed and received it knew something of how precious a gift they had received. May you and I never cease to realise the wonder of the gift that God has given us in Jesus. May we treasure it. May we abide in the living relationship that God has given us through the Holy Spirit. May our love for Jesus and our joy be a continuing reality.

Amen.

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