TAKING THE GOOD NEWS TO OTHERS

Taking The Good News To Others

Stages of Christianity:
– Acknowledge sin; conviction; confession.
– Seek, and ask to be saved.
– Repent (change of direction, lifestyle, focus, etc.).
– Thirst for God’s Word; to know Him better.
– Develop a personal relationship with the Lord.
– With knowledge and relationship comes maturity.
– Discovery and use of spiritual gifts.
– Boldness to speak up for Christ (not embarrassed to show faith).
– Sharing the Good News with others.
   Example:
       Paul and Barnabas preaching to the Gentiles
       (Acts 13:47 – They were the light).

Note:
Light references:
(Isaiah 42:6, 49:6)
     – Fulfillment of prophecy.

(Luke 2:25-32)
     – Jesus was also a fulfillment of prophecy;
       He was a light.

(John 8:12)
     – Jesus stated that He was “the” light;
       and those who followed Him
       would “have” the light.

(Matthew 5:14)
     – Jesus told His disciples “they”
       are the light of the world.
       Note:
            As believers, we are also His disciples;
            we are also the light of the world.

After the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.),
the territories he conquered were divided among his generals.

Seleucus Nicator founded the Sleucid Kingdom
(included Syria and the southern part of Asia Minor).

Seleucus named 16 cities “Antioch”
in honor of his father (Antiochus).

Two of these cities were mentioned in Acts 13.
     – Antioch of Syria was the 3rd largest city in the Roman
       Empire (only Rome and Alexandria were larger).
            – It had a population of 500,000 to 800,000.
            – The city had a mixed population
               which included a large number of Jews.
            – This city was the location of the 1st church
               to send missionaries (and the first group
               of believers to be called Christians).
            – Paul and Barnabas visited the other Antioch (of Pisidia)
               on their first missionary trip.
            – In Paul’s day,
               it was in the Roman Province of Galatia.

Overview:
     – God called Paul and Barnabas to be missionaries
        (the Antioch church sent them out).
     – They preached the good news
        in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia.
     – They preached forgiveness of sins,
        and justification by faith.
     – When many of the Jews rejected the gospel,
        the two disciples preached to the Gentiles.

ACTS 13:

VERSES 1-3:
“church at Antioch”
     – This church is described in Acts 11:19-30.
     – Some Jewish believers (unnamed) who were fleeing
        from persecution, went to Antioch (led by Saul of Tarsus).
     – At first they only shared the good news with fellow Jews.
     – Some of them later began preaching (with success)
        to the Gentiles.
     – The Jerusalem church heard about it
        and sent Barnabas to investigate.
     – When Barnabas saw what was happening,
        he encouraged them to continue their ministry.
     – Barnabas enlisted Saul (who had been converted)
        to come to Antioch and help teach the people.
        Question:
             How do you think some of the people felt
             about Saul coming there?
                  – Is he going to start persecuting us again?

                  – We have heard he was converted,
                     but was it real, or is it a trick?

                  – If he was recently converted,
                     then what can he teach us?

        Question:
             Why do you think Barnabas picked Saul?
                   – He knew his conversion was real?

                   – He knew Saul had a recent experience
                       to share with the people?

                   – He knew Saul was passionate about
                      everything he did, and believed in?

                   – Since Barnabas was an encourager,
                      he knew Saul could accomplish a lot
                      with him there to urge him on?

– They worked together and taught the people;
   the believers there were the first to be called Christians.

– There was a prediction of a severe famine,
   so the believers pitched in together and sent
   a relief offering to their believing brothers in Judea.

Three others joined Barnabas and Saul.
“Prophets”
     – People who spoke the word of the Lord.

“Teachers”
     – Instructed people in the Scriptures
        (the teachings of Jesus, Christian beliefs,
         and Christian living).

“Barnabas”
    – His real name was Joseph, but he was called
       Barnabas (which meant Son of Encouragement).
       Note:
            Maybe because he was known
            for his generosity (Acts 4:32-37).

    – He stood up for the newly converted Saul when
       he came to Jerusalem and the people were afraid
       of him (Acts 9:20-27).
       Note:
            They were afraid of him because of his violent
            persecution (Acts 9:1-2).
            But he had been converted (Acts 9:3-9).
            Note:
                God had it in His plans for Saul to take the
                 good news to the Gentiles (Acts 9:10-19).
Simeon
     – May have been black
        (the Latin word for “Niger” means “black”).

Lucius
     – All we know is that he was from Cyrene.

Manean
     – Brought up with Herod the Tetrarch
        (the same Herod who executed John the Baptist
         and mocked Jesus).
        Question;
             Wonder if he was raised as a non-believer
             and was later converted?

VERSES 2-3:
It’s time for Paul to carry out God’s plan for his life.
Question:
     Why now?
          – He had over a year of training?

          – His reputation as a persecutor was gone
             and others would be more receptive?

          – The church at Antioch needed to know
             so they could commission the apostles
             and provide support?

          – He and Barnabas were comfortable
            working with each other?

Question:
     If you were Paul or Barnabas, what reservations
     would you have about God’s plan?
          – We’ve been successful here,
            and have built a reputation,
            we need to continue our work here.

          – We are in our comfort zone
             (with friends, culture, etc.).

          – We know how to be successful here,
             but we may fail in other places.

          – Who will continue our efforts here
             (and will they be successful)?

          – Where will we live in other places?
             Who will support us?

          – What if we offend the people in other lands
             and get thrown into prison (or killed);
             our missionary effort will come to an end.

          – Couldn’t we just continue our ministry
             here and gradually reach out
             to the surrounding areas?

             Note:
                  The church at Antioch could have also complained,
                   “These are our two best men; we need them here”.

Note:
     This was the start of a new phase
     in the spreading of the good news.
          – Sharing with the Gentiles was not new.
          – Philip witnessed to the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-40).
          – Peter testified to Cornelius
             and his household (Acts 10).
          – The Antioch church had evangelized
             the Gentiles in their community.
             (Paul and Barnabas played
              a major role in this effort)

          – What was new was, for the first time a local church
             was led to see the need for witnessing beyond their
             area (and commissioned missionaries for the task).

          Note:
          Interesting:
               The church where believers were first
               called Christians is the first church
               to evangelize Gentiles as well as Jews.
                     – It was also the first church
                       to send missionaries to other lands.

Summary:
     – God calls all Christians
        to witness as we go about our lives.
     – He calls some to be missionaries
        to others in other parts of the world.
     – God has a plan for all believers
        (some obey; some don’t).

VERSES 28-33a:
Their first missionary stop was Cyprus.
     – Paul became the team leader.
     – (Verse 7)
             Referred to “Barnabas and Saul”.
     – (Verse 13)
            Referred to “Paul and his companions”.

     – They went to another city named Antioch
        (Antioch of Pisidia).

     – They went to the synagogue on the Sabbath.
              – This was Paul’s custom when entering a new city.

              – In the synagogue were people who believed
                 the Scriptures and were looking for the Messiah.

     – This was an ideal place for the missionaries
        to begin their work in each city.

     – Since Paul was Jewish,
       he was invited to speak in the synagogue.
       (Verses 16-23)
            – He summarized the Israelite history
               leading up to David (from whose
              descendants God promised a savior, Jesus).

       (Verses 24-26)
            – He told them about the work of John the Baptist.

       (Verse 27)
            – He told how the Lord’s own people condemned Jesus.

VERSE 28:
Although they had no legitimate reason,
they pressured Pilate to execute Jesus.
Question:
     Why would they do that?
          – Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
             but He didn’t meet their expectations?

VERSE 29:
After all the prophecies about His death were fulfilled,
the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross
and placed in a tomb.
Note:
     Mentioning the burial was important…it showed that
     this was a real event, and that Jesus was really dead.

VERSE 30:
Since He was really dead, God was the
only One Who could bring Him back to life.

VERSE 31:
As confirmation that He was alive again, He was seen
by a lot of people over several days.
Note:
     Those who saw Him became His witnesses.
     Note:
          In our world today,
          those who know Him are His witnesses.

VERSES 32-33:
Paul gladly shared the good news of
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Note:
     This is the heart of the gospel
     (“gospel” is a translation of
     a Greek word that means “good news”).

     (Romans 1:14-16)
          – Paul had received the good news and felt obligated
             to share it with others (so that they could be saved).

Summary:
– Even though the crucifixion of Jesus was an evil act
   by the people, it fulfilled the Scriptures.
– Putting Jesus in the tomb was confirmation
   that His death was real.
– God raised Jesus from the dead.
   Note:
        These three facts are the heart of the gospel.
– Believers have an obligation
   to share the good news with the lost.

Question:
     What are some responses Paul
     could have had to God’s call?
          – Why me?
          – Why not someone else? I’ve been bad.
          – How?
          – You’re kidding.
          – Will they listen?
     Note:
          Paul just did what he was led to do.

VERSES 33-37:
Confirms the fulfillment
of the Scriptures – the resurrection of Jesus.

VERSES 38-39:
Two analogies of salvation are in these two verses:
1. The forgiveness of sins comes through Jesus Christ.
          – When one is hurt by another so much
             that their relationship is blocked,
             forgiveness is needed.

          – For this to take place,
            the one hurt must absorb the hurt
            and offer reconciliation.

          – The other party must be repentant
             about the hurt and willing to be reconciled.

          – In the business world, the Greek
            word “sins” referred to a debt.

          – If a debtor can’t repay the debt,
            the creditor has the option
            to cancel the debt.

          – For this to happen, the creditor
            must assume the debt and cancel
            it from the debtor’s record.

2. Justification – a legal term.
          – The word means “to declare as righteous”.

          – For a guilty person to go free,
            he had to be found innocent.

          – Paul had tried that method of being
            accepted as righteous (by keeping
            all the laws of Moses, no one could
            find him guilty of anything).

          – He realized this was impossible
             (on the road to Damascus, he found
             out he was far from righteous).

          – Since keeping the laws would not justify
            him, he realized that justification
            is achieved by faith in Christ.

         Note:
              “believe”
                   – Implies accepting something
                     or someone to be true.
                   – It means more than
                     intellectual acceptance.
                  – It means a personal faith, trust,
                    and commitment to Jesus Christ.

         Note:
              Repentance and faith are two responses
              necessary for sinners to be forgiven
              and justified.
                   – Repentance (turning from sin).
                   – Faith (turning to Jesus).
                   – Sometimes both are mentioned (Acts 20:21).
                   – Sometimes only repentance
                     is mentioned (Acts 3:19, 17:30).
                  – Sometimes only belief (or faith)
                     is mentioned (Acts 10:43, 16:31).
                 Note:
                      When only one is mentioned,
                      the other is also assumed.

Summary:
– Forgiveness removes sin
  as a barrier between sinners and God.
– Being justified means being pardoned
  from guilt and accepted by God.
– Forgiveness and justification are possible
  because of what Jesus did on the cross.
– Repentance and faith go together.

VERSES 45-48:

VERSES 40-41:
– In concluding his sermon, Paul quoted
  Habakkuk (1:5) as a warning against unbelief.

VERSE 42:
– Paul was invited to return
  the next Sabbath to preach again.

VERSE 43:
– As Paul and Barnabas left, there were many
  who followed them and encouraged them
  to continue their missionary works
  Note:
       Those encouraging included Jews, and Gentiles
       who had converted to Judaism (proselytes).

VERSE 44:
– On the next Sabbath, the whole city
  came to hear the preaching of the gospel.
  Question:
       Why would the whole city come to hear them?
              – Based on what others told them,
                 they liked what they had heard?
              – They were searching and felt
                 these apostles had the answers?
              – They wanted to hear more about Jesus?
              – They wanted to build
                 a case against these two disciples?

VERSE 45:
– When the Jews saw the crowd of Gentiles
  coming to hear Paul, they became jealous.
  Question:
       Why would they be jealous?
             – They envied the success of Paul
                and Barnabas in reaching a large
                number of Gentiles?

Note:
     They were probably also upset with
     how Paul interpreted the Old Testament
     (he glorified Jesus and said the Gentiles
     could be accepted without being circumcised).

Note:
     This was a key moment
     in the history of Christianity.
          – The Jews were the Old Testament people
             of God, but a lot of them began to
             turn against the Christian movement.

          – Jesus, the twelve apostles, and the earliest
            believers were also Jews, but many of
            their fellow Jews turned away.
                 – Opposition was no surprise to Paul
                    because Jesus had taught that the
                    gospel is for all people, but many
                    Jews would reject it. (Luke 4:16-30)

                – They were so jealous that they started
                   insulting and trying to discredit Paul.

VERSE 46:
– In response to their comments,
  Paul and Barnabas made a bold declaration.
       – Since the Jews were God’s chosen people,
         the good news had to be brought to them first.

       – When they rejected the gospel of salvation,
          God led the apostles to the Gentiles.

Note:
     This verse is the Book of Acts summarized.
          – The book begins with all believers being Jews;
             it ends with many Jews and many Gentiles
             becoming Christians.

VERSE 47:
– This movement was consistent
  with Paul’s understanding of the missionary
  message from the Old Testament
  (he quoted Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6).
  Question:
       What do these quotes imply about Paul?
             – He knew the Scriptures.
             – He saw the scriptures
                as both a prophecy and a command.
             – He understood the Jews would have
                a tough time arguing with Old
                Testament Scripture.

          Note:
               God’s intention was for Israel to
               become a light to the nations.
               They were to be a kingdom
               of priests for the world.
               Note:
                    The nation of Israel failed on both
                    assignments.
                    However, the One who came to
                    redeem Israel, also came to be
                    a light for the Gentiles.

VERSE 48:
– This was a message of great news
  to the Gentiles and they reacted in two ways:
  1. They were glad to hear the message.

  2. They held the Word of the Lord in high esteem.

“all who were appointed for eternal life believed”
     – This statement combines human response
       with the eternal purpose of God.

     – Every believer’s salvation originates past
        his faith to the loving heart of God
        (He wants us all to be saved
        and invites us to salvation).

Summary:
– Some people reject the gospel
  and attack those who bring it.
– Boldness is needed for believers
  to persevere in the face of opposition.
– God’s good news is for all people.
– God calls us to salvation, but our salvation
  is determined by our personal faith in Jesus Christ.
– As believers, we are to be a light
  and share the gospel with others.