First Baptist Church Bartow First Baptist Church Bartow

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I have a lemon tree that I planted back in 2020. It looked something like this when I planted it. Now, it looks something like this. Some of you can’t even see it. There it is.



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The reason it looks so pitiful is because it has not received the proper nourishment. There’s really not someone looking after it well. I haven’t let it die, but I haven’t really helped it thrive.



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Today, as we start a summer series called “The Psalms of Summer,” we’re going to start at the very beginning, Psalm 1.



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Psalm 1 helps us see how a person thrives in this life. It shows us two ways: one way that leads to having a life like my lemon tree, and the other that leads to a life of a tree that looks something like this.



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Today’s sermon is entitled “The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked.”



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Let’s pray together before we go any further.



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(prayer)



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Ok, let’s look at Psalm 1 now and then, we’ll see what we can learn together:



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1 How happy is the one who does not



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walk in the advice of the wicked



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or stand in the pathway with sinners



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or sit in the company of mockers!



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2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,



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and he meditates on it day and night.



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3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams



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that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.



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Whatever he does prospers.



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4 The wicked are not like this;



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instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.



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5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,



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nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.



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6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,



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but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.



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What I love about this psalm is that it is very clear and simple. It shows two ways and the results of those two ways.



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So, let’s look at these ways.



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First, we should . . .



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‌I. Avoid the way of wickedness.



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Look at verse 1 again:



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1 How happy is the one who does not



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walk in the advice of the wicked



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or stand in the pathway with sinners



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or sit in the company of mockers!



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Ok, let’s pay attention to the elements of this verse.



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First, we see that this person is happy. Many of your translations say blessed.



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The Hebrew term used here is ashre, which means privileged or happy.



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So, this is not a financial or physical blessings. Rather, this blessing is a fulfilling joy that comes to someone when they avoid wickedness.



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Fulfilling happiness comes to those who avoid wickedness.



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Notice that the psalm gives three different descriptors of the way of evil: The advice of the wicked, the pathway with sinners, and the company of mockers.



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We are happy when we do not walk in the advice of the wicked. That is, we don’t listen to the advice of the wicked. We don’t allow our minds to be affected by the wicked.



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Second, we are happy or blessed when we don’t stand in the pathway with sinners. We are not to be on the same path as a sinner. That is, we are not to act like sinners. We should not allow our behavior to be sinful.



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Third, we are happy when we do not sit in the company of mockers. Mockers are those who celebrate sin and hate righteousness. To sit in the company of someone means to hangout or identify with them. Our identify ought not to be associated with sin or sinners.



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So, we should avoid wickedness in these three ways:



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We should protect our mind from sin, . . .



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we should avoid sinful behavior, and . . .



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we should not be identified with anything sinful.

Everyone has an opinion about life after death.  Just about everyone assumes there is something out there somewhere.  Few people stop long enough to think it through, and yet it’s the most crucial issue facing all of us.



In 2 Samuel 14:14 (NLT) a wise woman was sent to counsel King David in an attempt to persuade him to offer mercy to his banished son Absolom.  She said, “All of us must die eventually.  Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.  But [before then] God does not just sweep life away; instead, He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him.”



God is always devising ways so that people far from God could be brought into fellowship with Him.



I had the privilege of teaching here last year through the Four most Common Views around the world regarding life after death, concluding with the way Jesus taught – the Biblical Christian system, outlining how Only Believers and Followers of Jesus Go To Heaven.  We looked at how it is the most just system available and how it is really the only one that makes sense:



1. Everyone is welcome.



Romans 10:13 – Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.



2. Everyone gets in the same way. 



John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.



3. Everyone can meet the requirement.



Martin Luther called John 3:16 “The heart of the Bible – the Gospel in miniature.”  It’s so simple a child can understand it; yet it condenses the deep and marvelous truths of redemption into these few incredibly powerful and pointed words:  “For…”



    “God”…The greatest Lover – He literally is love



    “So loved”…The greatest degree – absolutely



    “The world”…The greatest number



    “That He gave”…The greatest act



    “His one and only Son”…The greatest gift



    “That whoever”…The greatest invitation



    “Believes”…The greatest simplicity



    “In Him”…The greatest Person



    “Shall not perish”…The greatest deliverance



    “But”….The greatest difference



    “Have”….The greatest certainty



    “Eternal Life”…The greatest possession



I want to spend a few moments on John 3:16 with you this morning.  To do so properly, we need to look at this verse in context, and especially in the light of the 2 verses that precede it, v14-15.



John Chapter 3 is a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, who is here under the cover of night.  He’s a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, and a member of the Sanhedrin, but he sees Jesus as a teacher having come from God.  He recognizes no one could perform the signs Jesus is doing if God were not with Him, and he wants to understand what it is that Jesus is trying to teach us.



In John 3:3 “3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again [or born again from above].”



Nicodemus does not understand, but he wants to, else why bother any further.  Jesus reaches in through all the Pharisee-corruption, hypocrisy, politics, and office-seeking legalism and basically asks Nicodemus, “Shouldn’t you who claim to represent God…know?  I’ll put it as plainly as I can.  I know what I’m talking about here, because I am God’s Son.”  Jesus continued:



John 3:14-17 – “14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.“



In the Old Testament, every time the people of Israel would stray from Him, God wou

Have you every had someone ask you what you did during your day, and you think, “Where do I start?” Perhaps you had a wide-variety of tasks; perhaps you had a long day; perhaps you had a lot going on.



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We are in the middle of a section in the Book of Acts that describes the missionary journeys of Paul, Barnabas, and their companions.



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There is a lot going on with Paul and Barnabas during this time. Indeed, there’s a lot going on in today’s passage.



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Well, today, as we look again at Paul and Barnabas, we’re going to see that they had a lot going on. Indeed, the title of today’s sermon is “A Lot Going on with Paul and Barnabas.”



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Let’s pray together before we go any further.



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(prayer)



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Ok, let’s look at the passage together, and then we’ll look at what’s going on with Paul and Barnabas.



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Look at Acts 14:1-20:



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1 In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them, 6 they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside. 7 There they continued preaching the gospel.



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8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.



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11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.



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14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting: 15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.



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19 Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. 20 After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.



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Ok, let’s look at what’s going on.



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First, we see . . .



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‌I. A synagogue



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Verse 1 says right away, “In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual.”



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Ok, let’s look at our map again.



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For reference, here’s Jerusalem. Remember from last week, Paul and Barnabas were in Pisidian Antioch. Now they have traveled to Iconium.



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Notice what was happening while they were at the synagogue in Iconium.



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L

Have you ever thought about a missed opportunity? When I first started a job as a youth pastor in Naples, Florida, I was invited by a family member to go on an Alaskan cruise and have the entire thing paid for by that person. Well, everything within me said that it was not a good idea to ask for twelve days off work after I just started a new job. So, I didn’t go. They had the time of their lives, and I stayed behind to work. Though I think I made the right decision, it was certainly a missed opportunity.



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Opportunities come and go in our lives, don’t they? Some of those opportunities are chances to share the love of God or tell someone about the saving work of Jesus Christ. These are gospel opportunities.



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Today, we’re going to hear about the continued missionary work of Paul and Barnabas. In the second part of Acts 13, we’re going to see them ministering in another city named Antioch. Today’s sermon is entitled “Another Antioch, Another Gospel Opportunity.”



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Let’s pray together before we go any further.



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(prayer)



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Ok, so let’s recall what was happening in the earlier part of chapter 13.



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Paul and his companions were ministering on the island of Cyprus.



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Now, let’s look at verse 13 and part of verse 14:



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13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch.



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So, Paul and his companions left Cyprus, then came to Perga, from there they went to Pisidian Antioch.



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Now, pay attention to two aspects of these two verses.



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First, this is a different Antioch than the one from where they were sent off.



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This is Pisidian Antioch. This is another Antioch.



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Similarly, there’s a Lakeland, Georgia; there’s a Bartow County, Georgia; there’s a Polk County, Georgia; and so forth. So, also, there were several different Antiochs.



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Remember, this is another Antioch, another gospel opportunity.



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Second, notice that John Mark left them and went back to Jerusalem.



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We’re not really sure why John Mark left them, but we know from later in the Book of Acts that Paul was not happy that John Mark left them. There will be more on that later in our series in this book.



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Alright, now we have some context for what’s going on in this passage, so let’s dive into this passage some more.



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Initially, we see . . .



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‌I. The first opportunity.



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Let’s pick it up in the second part of verse 14:



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On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”



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16 Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen! 17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness; 19 and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my will.’



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23 “From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Savior, J

Do you remember what is going on in the Book of Acts?







In Acts 11, we learned about the rise of Antioch as a city of Christian influence. We also learn that Saul and Barnabas became teachers and influencers in the city of Antioch.



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We learn in Acts 12, that Saul and Barnabas came down to Judea with an offering from the church in Antioch. While there, James is put to death, and Peter is jailed. Yet, Peter is miraculously set free by the power of an angel of God.



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At the end of Acts 12, we see Saul and Barnabas make their way back from Jerusalem to Antioch.



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Today, our passage picks up with Saul and Barnabas back in Antioch.



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Before we read our passage, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.



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(prayer)



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Ok, let’s look at this passage together. Look at Acts 13:1-12:



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1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.



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2 As 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 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.



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4 So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant. 6 When they had traveled the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.



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9 But Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas 10 and said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.



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12 Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.



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By the way, church. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the attention of the Book of Acts would soon shift away from Peter and the twelve apostles towards a focus that is primarily upon Paul. This is that time. As we continue through Acts, you will see the primary focus will be on the ministry that God accomplished through Paul.



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So, in today’s passage we will read about a journey that Saul and Barnabas take as one of their very first missionary journeys. Today’s sermon is entitled “The Journey to Cyprus.”



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So, let’s learn about this journey.



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First, we see that . . .



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‌I. Saul and Barnabas are set apart.



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We learn right away in verse 1 that there were several different prophets and teachers in Antioch, including Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, Barnabas and Saul.



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Then, in some way (we don’t know specifics), the Holy Spirit of God spoke to them and told them to set apart two of these prophets and teachers for a work to which God was calling them.



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Of course, we are familiar with these two who are set apart: they are our friends Barnabas and Saul.



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Notice what the church does: verse 3 says they did four things:



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1. They fasted – That is, they went without food in order to turn their focus to God.



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2. They prayed – They spoke to

Listen, church: God’s mission cannot be stopped.



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I want to tell you the story of a man named Min-jae, a man from North Korea.



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Min-jae became a follower of Jesus during a lengthy business trip to China in 2004.



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Five months later, after being baptized and receiving his own small Korean Bible, Min-jae returned to North Korea. As he prepared to leave China, someone from the church made a bold request: Would he accept a shipment that included ten hidden Bibles once he returned to North Korea?



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At first, he declined. He was already nervous about bringing his own small Bible into the country. If border guards caught him, he could be tortured or killed, or end up in one of North Korea’s notorious concentration camps.



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As he agonized over the decision, he remembered that he had given his life to Christ, and it was no longer his own. He decided to trust his Lord.



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“Now I believe in God, and in God, everything is possible,” he thought.



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The shipment arrived a few months after Min-jae’s return to North Korea. At 1 a.m. on a morning in November 2005, he approached a boat along the bank of the river, praying for God’s protection and guidance with every step.



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After retrieving three large vinyl duffle bags, he hoisted them onto his back and ran toward his home in the dark. Once inside the relative safety of his home, he opened the bags to find them tightly packed with pants. But wrapped randomly within the clothing were 10 small Bibles. Min-jae decided to keep the dangerous books hidden until God led him to the right people.



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Then, as he walked through his village one day, he heard a man whistling a Christian hymn. Min-jae made note of where the man lived and decided to deliver some Bibles to him that night under cover of darkness.



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After midnight, Min-jae rewrapped eight of the 10 Bibles in the pants and left them at the man’s front door. He didn’t leave a note for fear that it could be traced back to him.



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Months later, Min-jae returned to China with the intent of defecting, but in November 2006 he was arrested and extradited to North Korea.



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In prison, he met a former friend who had been arrested because of his Christian faith. And as they talked, Min-jae came to realize that the man he gave the Bibles to was his friend’s uncle. That man had also been arrested and was being held in a different cell in the same prison.



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Min-jae’s friend told him that his uncle had given the eight Bibles to relatives, who had then committed their lives to Christ. The entire family of 27 people began to gather secretly at night to worship God and to read and discuss the Scriptures. But one night, a neighbor overheard the believers singing hymns and reported them to authorities. The secret police raided their home and arrested everyone, including his friend and his friend’s uncle, and sent them all to a concentration camp.



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Min-jae was released after seven months in prison, and in 2014, he successfully defected to South Korea.



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He remains concerned — even feeling a bit guilty — about the Christian family suffering in a concentration camp. After all, he supplied the Bibles that helped lead to their imprisonment. Still, he knows that God ultimately provided the Bibles and that he is with them as they suffer in His name.



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“I just want for North Korean people to hear the gospel and share the gospel,” he said. “That is my only prayer.” (this true story was taken from the ministry called “Voice of the Martyrs”)



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Church, God’s mission cannot be stopped.



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God’s mission could not be stopped in the Book of Acts, and it cannot be stopped today.



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As we continue our study in the Book of Acts, let us read about some of the difficulties of the early Church, and how God’s mission pressed on.



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In our study of Acts 1