Studies, Business, Evangelism, Missions 300% (Acts 13:1-12)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” May the blessing of Christ be upon each of you today. The title of today’s message is a little special, it is, “Studies, Business, Evangelism, Missions 300%.” God prepared and called us, 300%. During today’s first service, there was a young lady who came to worship, and today’s message is very spiritual but this young lady said she has seen and experienced what we talked about. She is from Taiwan, and she is training to be a missionary in Hawaii for about 3 months, and then went on missions to Tanzania for 2 months, and is now in LA. So, I asked her how she was able to find our church, and she said she looked it up online, she found our church, and when she heard the message, she knew immediately that this was the right place. For you as well, it might seem as if you’re just sitting here, but God has called you for the work He has entrusted to you.
In today’s scripture, there is the church of Antioch, which was the beginning point of the first world evangelization movement. The Jerusalem Church could not be used for world evangelization because they were so locked in their idea against the Gentile nations and proclaiming the gospel. However, the Antioch Church was the church that went full force into proclaiming the gospel to Gentile nations, and in Acts 11:26, it says the members of Antioch Church had a nickname, and it is that other people outside of the church started calling them, “Christians.” The root word of “Christian” is “Christ” and “ianos” in Greek, and put together, that’s “Christian.” The suffix or root word, “ianos” means, “I belong to this group,” or, “I am of this.” And the fact that they said the word “Christos” and “ianos” means that these people did not claim allegiance and obedience to the Roman emperor, like everybody else did at the time; they said they pledged their allegiance to follow Jesus Christ.
So, the Christians back then were a little different from the Christians today, now anyone who goes to church can call themselves “Christian,” but that is just a churchgoer; that’s different from, “Christian.” What does the word, “Christian” mean? It means, somebody who has come to the answer to all of their life’s problems through Christ alone. What is the beginning of all problems of mankind? The problem that started all problems is the sin that separates us from God. Therefore, we are separated from life, and our spirit is dead. And now, Satan is controlling that dead and invisible spirit that we have; this is the fundamental problem of mankind.
The way that this is revealed in our lives is that, everybody thinks that they are their own god and they create their own standards for life. They move everything according to their own thoughts, and we all live our lives for “my plans,” “my goals,” and “my success.” Believing in Christ means that I believe that that sin is crucified on the cross, it is dead, and now, Christ lives in me, and I live by my faith in Christ. Christ is seated at the right hand of the throne of heaven, and He is reigning over all of creation, and I’m in a spiritual state that believes Christ is also in my heart, reigning over me. And the people who live their lives to fulfill their mission for which Christ has called us. All of this is what we call a “Christian.” There’s a difference between a churchgoer and a Christian. We must become “Christians.” Where are all of these many problems that are plaguing America—such as mental problems, addictions, homicide, suicide—where are all of these problems coming from? All of those problems begin from people being centered on themselves. If I received a scar in my past, I cannot escape from that. If I’m afraid of my future, I cannot escape from that. We cannot escape from our present thoughts, right now. And that’s why this comes to us as mental problems, and we are burdened by heavy burdens. It might be good if we can overcome oppression, but we’re unable to.
Then, our mind falls into obsession and addiction. But all of these problems are happening because I was centered on myself. If you understand the word, “Christ,” today, then you will be set free. No matter how hard you try, you cannot escape from your mental problems. The fact that you’re already addicted means you’re already seized. People are sometimes addicted to working, they get excited and they get lost inside of their work, and that’s a good thing, but when they are not working, they have no power. Just like when people do drugs, they have all this power and ecstasy, but when they’re not on drugs, it’s painful and they’re suffering.
The only way to escape from that state is Christ. Christ is the name that has solved the problems of sin, hell, and Satan, and I have to die on the cross with Christ. The more we live our lives centered on, “me, me,” the more we will be sucked in by the devil. Me, my things, my success—the deeper we go, the more we get trapped by Satan, and we cannot escape from that. Later on, this turns into disaster. Christ sets us free. Now, my Lord is Jesus Christ. Everybody hears these words and knows, but right now, we must be in consistent prayer, entrusting all of our thoughts to the Lord, asking Him to reign over our thoughts. We pray to entrust all of our thoughts to the Lord so that He can control and reign over them freely. That is somebody who believes in Christ as their Lord. Now, they live their lives following the mission God has given them. Then, everything that happened in my past that used to make me suffer because I didn’t know the source of it is now becoming my mission in life. Everything that used to make us suffer in the past because we did not know Christ, now becomes a stepping stone for our mission to save other people like that in our future. That is a “Christian.” That church was the Antioch Church.
1. One team – Guidance of the Holy Spirit
1) Prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1)
(1) Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger (Acts 13:1)
Acts 13:1 says, at the church of Antioch, there were five prophets and leaders. The prophets were the ones who testified of the Word of God, and the teachers were the ones who taught about the Word of God. There were five leaders listed at Antioch, and these are people of all different Gentile nations, and there’s even different positions; a former slave or servant is now mingling with kings. There’s Barnabas who was a layperson in the Antioch Church, and the second name is Simeon of Niger, who used to be a slave or servant in North Africa.
(2) Lucius of Cyrene (Acts 13:1)
Then, there was Lucius of Cyrene, and Cyrene is also located in North Africa.
(3) Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul (Acts 13:1)
Then there’s the fourth name that was listed, it’s Manaen, who was brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, meaning, they share the same birth mother. Finally, the fifth leader listed at Antioch was Saul, who used to go around persecuting and killing Christians.
2) Worshiping the Lord and fasting (Acts 13:2)
It says in Acts 13:2 that they were worshiping the Lord and fasting. They were worshiping the Lord. We worship the Lord, we serve the Lord; we are in worship today. What does it mean to worship the Lord or serve the Lord? It is a state where I do not exist; it means, “Whatever you tell me, Lord, I’ll listen and follow.” “Oh, if you give me Your Word, then I’ll think about it, and if I agree with it, then I’ll do it,” that is not worship. “Oh, God, when I think about it, Your Word does not seem logical,” that is not worship. The servant is the one who does whatever the Master commands. When we come to worship, we must come in a state of worship, and that means that I no longer exist, and I say, “Lord, give me whatever Word You want to give me. I will listen and follow,” that is a state where nothing of mine exists. Our offering in worship is returning God’s materials that He gave us to God. If you say, “This belongs to me,” that’s not worship. Now, we have to start calculating in our mind. That’s not worship. That’s somebody living with their own thoughts. “I pray to You, God, with Your Word.”
Third, we give our praise to God. That is worship. There are three aspects to worship. We give everything of ours to the Lord. Our prayer, our praise, and our offering. “Lord, You give me Your Word; I will follow You.” We have none of our thoughts. So, they were worshiping and fasting, meaning, they were putting aside their physical needs to focus on the spiritual.
(1) Holy Spirit said (Acts 13:2)
During that time of worship, “the Holy Spirit said.” Every time you worship, the Lord gives you His Word. That is a normal service. If I’m not able to receive God’s Word today, it means I’m too filled with my own thoughts.
(2) Work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2)
The Holy Spirit said and gave them a mission, “For the work to which I have called them.”
(3) Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2)
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul,” which means, “Set them aside for this work.”
3) Fasting and prayer (Acts 13:3)
(1) Laying of hands on the two people (Acts 13:3)
(2) Sent them off (Acts 13:3)
(3) Location
Then, they fasted and prayed, placed their hands on them, and sent them off, so now they were sending two of the five church leaders out into the world to do ministry. If the church of Antioch was centered on themselves, then they would want to keep the leaders in their own church because they would want to receive grace by themselves, so we need to be in a state that goes beyond ourselves, that goes beyond “my benefit,” those were the Christians of the Antioch Church. For every problem that is happening in our lives today, if Christ becomes our Lord, then the problem is finished. The more my things go in, the more it becomes a headache for me. We’re not even that intelligent; the more we try to calculate, the more it’s going to hurt our heads. We just commit our entire lives to the Lord because it’s actually much better for the Lord to move my life freely; it would make a very big difference compared to me living my own life.
2. One team – Working of the Holy Spirit
1) Barnabas and Saul
(1) Sent out by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4)
Then, the two of them sent on their way by the Holy Spirit went. Until Acts 13:4, they were talking about receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That was the first camp of evangelism and missions training. In order to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must be completely filled with the gospel. We must be in a state where I died on the cross with Christ and now Christ lives inside of me. In that state, when I listened to God’s Word and prayed, that is when God lets me hear His Word. And then, God gives me a mission for which He has called me. Not only that, but He tells us the people He raises up and He also tells us the location we must go to. Every week, we go out into the world, but every Lord’s day, we must be in a state of worship, receive this answer, and then go out into the world. Our Lord God promised us the covenant of world evangelization and in order to fulfill that promise, He gives us His mission every week through worship in His Word. For us, in order to fulfill the mission God gives us, we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Whether you are in school studying, or whether you are working, it’s the same thing. If you’re not able to have this life, then one day, you will collapse because anything I accomplish with my own thoughts will one day collapse. God does that; whatever God carries out, nobody can break down. Why do people’s lives collapse even as they go to church? It’s because they’re not doing the work God does. They follow “my thoughts, my calculations, my plans,” so at first it seems like it’s going well, but in the end, they collapse. In order to do the work God does, we must have a firm foundation of the gospel. Christ is my Lord and whatever Word He gives me, I will follow it.
(2) Went down to Seleucia (Acts 13:4)
(3) Arrived at Cyprus (Acts 13:4)
The second point is that they went down to Seleucia and arrived in Cyprus. Cyprus is the hometown of Barnabas, and it is an island that is about 200 km away from the mainland.
2) Cyprus
(1) Arrived at Salamis (Acts 13:5)
(2) God’s Word – Proclaimed in the synagogues of the Jews (Acts 13:5)
(3) John – Assisted them (Acts 13:5)
Within Cyprus, they arrived in Salamis, which is a financially powerful or prominent area, and there, they proclaimed God’s Word in the synagogues. So, the Jewish people, when they were scattered as the diaspora, every time there were more than 10 Jews, they would create a synagogue, and that is where they would teach the little children and proclaim the Word of God, and then, they also raised up John who is also called Mark as their secretary, or their helper. The reason is because, in order to do the evangelism and missions movement, there are a lot of supporting roles that are needed as well, such as people needed to manage the finances, or the administration, the room bookings, etc.
3) Paphos (Acts 13:6)
Then they traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos, which is the political center of the island. If we receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must know the field very well. No matter how good you are at studying or working, if it is not aligned with the field, everything you do will be useless. So, for students, you’re studying right now to prepare for the field that you will eventually enter, then God will keep on giving you answers in your studies. But instead of studying for that field, you’re studying just for the sake of studying, so kids are going crazy. What is studying, even? It means we are preparing to have a specialization in the field. So, people go to good colleges and get good jobs, but they’re not aligned with the field, so they’re barely able to make a living. Graduates of Harvard University will educate their children by preparing them for the field that they will go to in the future, and that’s right. If you’re studying and it has nothing to do with the field that you are about to enter, then your studying is useless. If I do research and development and invent a new product but no one in the field needs it, then my product is useless. There’s a lot of elderly people who criticize the music of today’s generation, but out in the field, there are plenty of people who are listening to this new music, it’s aligned with the field. If I’m not aligned with the field and what the field needs right now, then I’m not necessary. God prepares all of us for the field.
(1) Bar-Jesus – Jewish false prophet and magician (Acts 13:6)
So they went to that field, and who do they find there? There in Paphos, they met a Jewish false prophet and sorcerer, Bar-Jesus. So he’s a Jew and he’s a prophet, but he’s a false prophet. It says he’s a sorcerer, meaning he was possessed by an evil spirit, and by the power of the evil spirit, he was able to look into the future, heal people, and do these works. Right now, we’re able to read it clearly in the pages of the Bible, so we understand it, but you have to be able to see and understand this in your field, daily, but we’re not able to see that. But there are some people who are able to see that.
Who does God show this to? Especially in America, we’re more blind because there are even people who look perfectly normal but they’re doing the same things. There are people of the Three Organizations that are receiving the spiritual power of evil spirits, doing their work, but we’re not able to see it. There’s the New Age group that is controlling the culture of America, and the Jewish people control financial organizations. The freemasons have a different spiritual power to control politics in the world. Not only that, but they are controlling the politics, society, and culture. So, the very small minority of the elites that control society are all receiving a different kind of spirit to do so, but we’re not able to see that. People just think, “I just have to live a diligent life,” but that’s just you.
(2) Elymas – Opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith (Acts
13:8)
(3) God of this world blocked the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4)
When you go out into your field, when you go out into your job, you need to be able to see this. When are we able to see this? When you’re about to proclaim the gospel, without a doubt, Satan will panic and attack. If you go to work just to make money and work hard, you will not be able to see this, and Satan will not be able to reveal himself, because Satan loves Christians who just work hard. He loves them so much. Satan loves people who do not know the mission of Christ nor the power of Christ and only live for their own success, working hard. However, when we are trying to proclaim the gospel, without a doubt, the forces of darkness that were hidden and invisible will reveal themselves, and begin to panic. At that time, somebody in that field who is seized by evil spirits will arise and reveal themselves, and that person will try to break it down, because they are running the errands of Satan. Even if you are Christian, if you’re trying to do the work of Satan, then Satan will leave you alone, but if you’re a Christian trying to do the works of God, then Satan will try to block you.
My mother started going to church, and she’s the first churchgoer in my entire family. In the summer this year, I went to Korea for the World Remnant Conference, and there was an agreement made between a pastor, his wife, and my mother to start worship in her home. I called her to confirm that it was taking place. My mom told me, “Oh, the person I tried to evangelize to, she moved to a different place, so I told the pastor’s wife not to come, there’s no need anymore,” but that makes no sense. I told her, “It wasn’t just about one person you’re trying to evangelize to, we’re establishing worship in the household, so we can break down the forces of darkness in our family line and establish God’s Kingdom there,” so my mom didn’t understand, so I contacted the church and asked them to start the worship service again in our home, and the pastor’s wife called my mom, and my mom didn’t answer. Later on, my older brother finally picked up the phone and asked, “Who is this?” and he found out it was the church, so he connected them with my mom, and then they made an agreement, “Okay, the pastor and his wife will come next Thursday,” and they agreed on that day and when they went to her house, she wasn’t there. My mom is someone who always keeps her promises, but right now, she made this appointment and she wasn’t at the house. Always, no matter what, during the Korean holiday, Chuseok, I always get a phone call from my mom, but during this Chuseok, I didn’t hear a peep from my mom. She didn’t call me because she knew that if I talked to her, I would ask her about the worship.
How could I know my mom’s spiritual state? But these evil spirits begin to reveal themselves so startlingly. This is the spiritual state that is all throughout our family line. My mom goes to church, however, the moment you are trying to proclaim the gospel, that is the moment Satan will try to block and obstruct that. Satan is not afraid of you going to church. At first, Satan tries to block you from believing in Jesus. If you accept Jesus, then Satan tries to block you from receiving God’s grace, and if you receive God’s grace, then Satan will try to block you from proclaiming the gospel. You have to overcome these three stages in order for the darkness in your family line to be broken down.
3. One team
1) Person prepared in the field – Proconsul, Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7)
(1) With Elymas (Acts 13:7)
So there’s a Roman proconsul named Sergius who was ruling over the entire island, and the false prophet, Bar-Jesus, was always next to the proconsul. In biblical times, a lot of political leaders would listen to the words of gods and idols and follow their direction, including King David. He reigned over Israel listening to the words of prophets. And the same thing with Pharaoh in Egypt, he was listening to the words of his magicians and sorcerers—in other words, people possessed by a different spirit—and reigned accordingly. The same thing is happening today. President Barack Obama said that he would always listen to the words of his pastor in Chicago and follow what he said. In the end, the pastor actually started saying things like, “I raised Obama,” so Obama kind of cut him off, but the people who are ruling and reigning over this world are not doing this out of nowhere. They themselves do not know what to do. Without a doubt, they are listening to the words of spiritual leaders or some kind of religious leader or teacher or magician. Even in America, the very highest minority of people who are controlling everything, are receiving a different spiritual influence while they reign. In all of the different industries, in business, sports, music, arts, movies, finance, there is a very small minority that is controlling everything, and they are receiving a different spiritual influence as power. It’s exactly the same as today’s scripture. When the proconsul Sergius listens to the words of the false prophet Bar-Jesus, and makes his policies based on that, all of the citizens of the island of Cyprus are now having to follow the words of the evil spirits. This is the world, that is the field. All of you guys must know this before you go into the field of your business, your school, your job, or any other field.
(2) Man of intelligence (Acts 13:7)
(3) Sought to hear the Word of God (Acts 13:7)
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God. However, it also says that Sergius is an intelligent man and he wanted to hear the Word of God. However, the sorcerer Elymas was also opposing that. In everyday life, people look good, but when is a person’s spiritual state really revealed? When you’re trying to testify of the gospel, the forces of Satan inside of them will start panicking and attacking. When you’re just eating and drinking together, everything is good because you just like each other, however, when the light of the gospel is about to be revealed, then Satan will reveal his true self.
I do Bible studies, and in the beginning, I already tell them in advance, “You’re not going to be able to continue anyways; will you continue? There will always be a reason why you cannot continue meeting. Will you still meet?” And they say yes. Later on, they’ll say things like, “Pastor, I’m so busy today, I cannot meet.” Of course, Satan will make your work busy so you cannot meet. Then one day, they say, “Pastor, I’m too busy, I cannot meet. I’ll just go to church.” If we make this promise and this agreement to proclaim the Word of God, then one day, Satan will try to block that. That’s the pattern Satan will try to drag people with. When the Word of God is proclaimed, that is when the hidden evil spirits are revealed.
Then the false prophet Bar-Jesus opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. This is the field. In your field, you have your job, but you must be able to see the spiritual things as well. The reason is because the god of this age is controlling this world; if you’re not able to see this, then you’ll be taken in by the field.
In Matthew 12:28, Jesus Christ says, “You must first bind the strong man,” you must first bind the spiritual world, isn’t that right? But we’re not able to see it. Why are we not able to see it? There is a reason why we cannot see the spiritual world. Because we’re so filled with “my thoughts,” “my plans,” “my physical desires,” when we go out into the field, the only thing we see is the physical things. But that old “me” is dead on the cross, and now, the spirit of the Lord lives within me and fills me. Then, when I’m filled with the spirit of Christ, I’m able to see things that I myself would not have been able to see, and that is when the authority of Christ inside of me is revealed. If you’re filled with your own thoughts, no matter what you say in the name of Jesus Christ, the devil will know. What does the devil use? The devil uses that crack in your shield, which are your thoughts centered on yourself to enter into you. I’m filled with my own ulterior motives and my goals and desires, and I go out into the field, and Satan will break me down easily.
If there are police officers in a region who are really halfhearted and they don’t really care, the criminals in that area know that. A police officer must be focused on stopping criminals and burglars. But if the police officers are all gathered in a Burger King, enjoying the air conditioning and they’re just hanging out, then the criminals in the area will realize, “Oh, these are not real police officers.” Same thing when you guys, when you go out into the field of the world, if you’re filled with your own thoughts, the devil knows. At that point, even if you use the name of Jesus Christ, the devil scoffs at that because there is someone who called in the name of Jesus Christ, and the devil says, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” and attacked that person. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means we are filled with the spirit of Christ. If you are filled with the spirit of Christ, it means that our main priority must change. We no longer go to work to make money, we are going to work to establish the Kingdom of Christ and to save people. That is when you will be able to see the field spiritually and the forces of darkness in the field will break down.
2) Paul
(1) Filled with the Holy Spirit – Looked intently (Acts 13:9)
It says in today’s scripture that Paul was filled with the Spirit. In Acts 13:10, Paul who was filled with the Holy Spirit, says, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”
(2) Commanded with the authority of the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:10)
(3) Became blind – Darkness was broken (Acts 13:11)
Then this false prophet, Bar Jesus, becomes blind and is not able to do his work as a sorcerer. This is the second work of the Holy Spirit that will take place in the field. That is the second camp of the Holy Spirit. When the proconsul who was already prepared by God saw this happening, the proconsul believed and was amazed.
3) Proconsul – Raised as a disciple – Fruits of the Holy Spirit
(1) Seeing the forces of darkness being broken down (Acts 13:12)
(2) Believed (Acts 13:12)
(3) Astonished at the teaching of the Lord (Acts 13:12)
This is what we call the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The guidance of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, all of that has no “me.” If I am there, I cannot be led by the Holy Spirit, and if I’m not able to see the spiritual things of the field, the spiritual works will not take place, and then we will never see the fruits of God. With this scripture, students who are in school, you have to study like this, because true success is God’s Word being fulfilled. If I have nothing to do with God’s work, then even if I have success, that’s not real success. My business and my studies must be used for world evangelization and proclaiming the gospel. That is when the forces of darkness will break down and the spiritual problems in my family line will be broken down.
What exactly are spiritual problems? Things that happen to me regardless of me. When Adam and Eve sinned against God and were separated from God, their children began to kill one another. That wasn’t because they didn’t educate their kids right, that was the family line’s spiritual problem. Then, their future generations also killed. We have our ancestor Adam, and there are many different family lines and varieties that have come from Adam, but every family line has a spiritual problem that cannot be changed by money, education, or success.
Conclusion
1. Guidance of the Holy Spirit that surpasses myself and the church 100%
Only Christ, being filled with Christ. If you realize this, then you’ll turn your life around to save other people like that. My suffering and pain in the past has now changed into a mission to save other people like that.
2. Field – Working of the Holy Spirit 100%
If we have not yet discovered our mission, then it means we are still bound by our past, it means we still don’t know what the spiritual problems of my family line are, and we are bound by them. If we are set free by Christ, then we are able to see our past. Then, the past will be our footstool to see the future, what mission with which we must live the rest of our lives. Even with your job, you must have the same 300%; you must have your specialization of your own industry, then you must know the field and you must have a system to continue it in the future.
3. Continuing disciple – Fruits of the Holy Spirit 100%
Same thing with evangelism. You must have the guidance of the Holy Spirit and then the works of the Holy Spirit, then the disciples that can continue that movement. I believe God has called us and will fulfill His mission throughout the week. I bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you will enjoy that blessings.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together holding onto the Word God has given to us.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We have returned Your materials as offering. Everywhere this offering is used, may lives be saved and may churches be raised up. We believe You will bless the hands that have given this offering with the economy for world evangelization. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
God, we thank You. We pray You will give to the Truman family, who has come for the first time today, the blessing of the answer of missions and evangelism 300% in their lives. Allow their jobs and their children’s academics to be within the answer of 300% for missions and evangelism. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Closing Prayer and Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be upon the heads of all of the people of God who desire to enjoy the answer of 300% missions and evangelism taking place in their jobs and their studies, from now and forevermore always, amen.
Let’s receive the answer of 300% missions and evangelism!