Pastor's Sermon Notes: Mission Accomplished! (Acts 14:21-28)

Mission Accomplished!

To Derbe Then Back - 

the Report to the Sending Church:

“God opened the door of faith to the Gentiles!”

Acts 14:21-28

²¹ And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, ²² Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. ²⁴ And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: ²⁶ And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. ²⁸ And there they abode long time with the disciples.

Introduction:

God opens doors.  God also closes doors.

Here we hear of “the door of faith”.

Have you ever heard a missionary report?  This is when a missionary sent out by a local church comes back to that church to report on what God has done in the part of the world that missionary was sent to.  That is exactly what is happening in the last three verses of this passage.

Outline:

I.  The Requirements for Church Planting (14:21-23)

II. The Return through the Asian Provinces (14:24-25)

III.  The Report to the Antioch Church (14:26-28)

I.  The Requirements for Church Planting (14:21-23)

²¹ And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, ²² Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

1.  Preach the Gospel (14:21)

2.  Confirm the Disciples (14:22)

3.  Ordain the Elders (14:23)

1.  Preach the Gospel (14:21)

And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,

No modern translation reduces the sense of “discipled” in the second participle here to mere teaching as the KJV does.  “Made many disciples” is the norm in 20th century translations.  Even this begs the question concerning how this is done, and perhaps would have been better advised to leave it at “discipled” or “discipling”.  Reducing this to teaching as in the KJV rendering, “had taught many”, leaves out the first requirement of Mt. 28:19, i.e., “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.  Certainly discipling involves “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:20), but this second aspect of the commanded discipleship by Christ is included with and follows on the first, that of baptism.

There is a difference between preaching and teaching, but here, specifically, there is a difference between preaching the Gospel to unbelievers, here specified as the “city”, and discipling believers, here referred to as “many”.  They preached the Gospel to the entire city.  They discipled those who responded positively to that Gospel preaching in faith by baptizing them as Christ instructed, and teaching them what Christ commanded.

“… mind you now, there are only about an hundred and sixty miles from Tarsus, Paul’s home, and another way back to Antioch in Pisidia. So, what would you think these guys would do? Do you think they would go home?

Well, that’s the difference between being wise and being an apostle. So, what they did was

they went back from where they had come. And so, they went to Lystra, again, where he had been stoned. They went to Antioch.”

- S. Lewis Johnson, “Faith Healing at Lystra” (Acts 14:1-28), pg. 16 (Dallas, TX: Believers Chapel, 2008).

2.  Confirm the Disciples (14:22)

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

(1)  The Focus of the Confirmation

(2)  The Manner of the Confirmation

(3)  The Goal of the Confirmation

(1)  The Focus of the Confirmation

Confirming the souls of the disciples,

What is the nature of this “confirmation”?

In other words, what does it mean to “confirm”?

(2)  The Manner of the Confirmation

and exhorting them to continue in the faith,

Notice how the HCSB structures this verse, “…strengthening the  disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith  and by telling them…”.

(3)  The Goal of the Confirmation

and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

 “Well, they found out that it was not too healthy to stay at Lystra, at that particular time, so

they went on to Derbe, a small time, the home of Gaius. And there, the Apostle and Barnabas spent their time, “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” And he didn’t need to give any illustration about the tribulations, which one must experience before entering into the kingdom of God.

Incidentally, that’s a very revealing statement that indicates that the kingdom of God still lies

in the future.”

- S. Lewis Johnson, “Faith Healing at Lystra” (Acts 14:1-28), pg. 16 (Dallas, TX: Believers Chapel, 2008). [1]

This may raise questions in some Bible students minds, for example:

What is intended here by the phrase, “the kingdom of God”?

a)  An “already” spiritual or heavenly kingdom?

Some would assume a purely spiritual and already present “kingdom” established by Christ at His first advent, and especially by His ascension which terminated that first advent.

b)  A “not yet” earthly kingdom?

Others would assume an earthly kingdom established by Christ at His second advent.

Neither understanding is totally without merit, yet neither understanding exhausts the Biblical theology of the kingdom.  Certainly neither of these views satisfactorily explains what is intended by “the kingdom of God” here.

Why is this expressed as something yet future, as the goal of the Christian life, and not as something that we have already been “translated into”?

a)  Kingdom in a present sense:

Col. 1:12-14 - 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Heb. 12:28 - Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Rev. 1:9 - I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

b)  Kingdom in a future sense:

2 Tim. 4:18 - And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Jas. 2:5 - Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

2 Pet. 1:11 - For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Also, in this sense are many New Testament passages which tie the kingdom to the concept of an inheritance, with this understood as something to be received or entered into in the future.

What about the kingdom of God?

Would you be someone who would want to get there?

Do you want to enter God’s kingdom?

Would you like to know how that is going to happen?

WE must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God!

We MUST through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God!

We must through MUCH tribulation enter into the kingdom of God!

We must through much tribulation enter INTO the kingdom of God!

Continue in the faith! Do not draw back!

Do not quit! Don’t surrender! Continue in the faith!

As Winston Churchill said, “…never give in, never give in, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

- speech at Harrow School (29 OCT 1941); on The Churchill Centre at http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/103-never-give-in, and also at a http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/quotations [accessed 15 JUN 2014].

Persevere!

Finally, let us clear up another great area of confusion when it comes to the relationship between the Church and tribulation.

The Church does not go through the Tribulation period known as The Great Tribulation, Daniel’s 70th week, or The Time of Jacob’s Trouble.  However, the Church does, and indeed, must go through tribulation.  It is absolutely wrong to insist that the Church does not go through The Great Tribulation because the Church does not go through tribulation.  Does that sound like a double negative?  Let’s get this straight!  The Church does go through tribulation, much tribulation, but the Church does not go through the time period known as The Great Tribulation, which is the next great event on the eschatological calendar just prior to the Second Advent of Jesus Christ to this earth.  Therefore, it simply will not do to object to post-tribulational arguments for the Church going through The Great Tribulation on the basis that God keeps the Church from tribulation.  The opposite is in fact the truth.  It is explicitly affirmed here and elswhere in the Scriptures, both in the didactic portions and the realities of the historical narratives in the New Testament, that the people of God, the Body of Christ, the Church, will suffer persecution, trials and tribulation.  Entrance into the kingdom of God only comes through faithful perseverance through these trying experiences.

3.  Ordain the Elders (14:23)

And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

The NLT translates the second use of the 3rd person plural objective pronoun“them” in this verse with an interpretative equivalent as “the elders”:  “…they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”  That is indeed the immediate antecedent of the pronoun, but the final clause, “on whom they believed” should cast doubt on this limitation, and would seem to embrace the elders and the rest of the disciples, all of whom were believers.

I would remind you once again that this was the pattern and practice of the Apostle Paul in his missionary journeys, and church planting endeavors.  It did not happen years later.  It was not suspended due to a lack of viable candidates.  Therefore, it must not be assumed that the reason he wrote directly to churches as he did in all but four of his thirteen epistles was due a lack of elders in those churches.  There is a very clear issue of authority and responsibility here.  Paul does not bypass the responsibility of the local churches, nor does he short circuit their authority in his communications to them.  Elders were present anywhere and everywhere that Paul planted a church.  But “elder rule” as is understood in many circles in our day was unknown to Paul, and foreign to the churches that he planted. [2]

II.  The Return through the Asian Provinces (14:24-25)

 ²⁴ And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:

1.  Passage through Pisidia to Pamphylia (14:24)

2.  Preaching in Perga (14:25a)

3.  Arrival in Attalia (14:25b)

1.  Passage through Pisidia to Pamphylia (14:24)

And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

2.  Preaching in Perga (14:25a)

And when they had preached the word in Perga,

Perga was mentioned on their way into the interior in Acts 13:13-14.  This is where John Mark left them to head back to Jerusalem.

They are still preaching the Word as they go!  Even though there was no mention of them preaching in Perga on their way to Pisidian Antioch there is now.

There is a wide variety of words used by Luke in Acts for “preaching”, and several of them occur in this passage.  It is notable that none of the words in this chapter are the familiar word for preaching found in passages like 2 Tim. 4:2 and elsewhere. That word is used elsewhere in Acts on 8 occasions (8:5; 9:20; 10:37, 42; 15:21; 19:13; 20:25; and 28:31), but not in this chapter.

3.  Arrival in Attalia (14:25b)

they went down into Attalia:

III.  The Report to the Antioch Church (14:26-28)

 ²⁶ And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. ²⁸ And there they abode long time with the disciples.

1.  The Work Fulfilled (14:26)

2.  The Church Gathered  (14:27a-b)

3.  The Door Opened (14:27c-28)

1.  The Work Fulfilled (14:26)

And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work [3] which they fulfilled.

“From the pages of the New Testament we deduce that the church, the local congregation, becomes the mediating sending authority as the missionary society becomes the mediating sending agency.”

- George Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions; cited by Chad Bresson on Facebook, 13 JUN 2014

In fact, the only sending agency with a Scriptural basis is the local congregation!  The New Testament knows nothing of “missionary societies” as “mediating sending agencies”!

2.  The Church Gathered  (14:27a-b)

And when they were come, and had gathered the church together,

“And then, they had the first missionary conference ever held…”

- S. Lewis Johnson, “Faith Healing at Lystra” (Acts 14:1-28), pg. 16 (Dallas, TX: Believers Chapel, 2008).

3.  The Door Opened (14:27c-28)

they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.

God opens doors. God also closes doors.  In Acts 5 and 16 the doors God opens are literal prison doors.  In the Gospels it is the literal door of the empty tomb that is referenced.  In other instances the “doors” are a metaphor for access to opportunities for ministry. 

1 Cor. 16:9 - For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

2 Cor. 2:12 - Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

Col. 4:3 - Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

Rev. 3:8 - I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

These metaphorical doors are summed up in Christ Himself as verified in His own statement, “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7)

What is the practical theological significance of this?

1)  If God want to limit His revelation to one nation, Israel, that is His prerogative.

2)  If God wants to make an exception for one city-state, Nineveh, that is His prerogative as “The God of the Doors”!

3)  If God wants to wait until a certain moment in history to reveal His New Covenant to the Gentiles, then it is His history, His moment, His covenant, His revelation, and His door to open when and where He sees fit!  He is “The God of the Doors!”

4)  If God wants to exclude entire nations and periods of history from the good news of His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ, He cannot be criticized or judged for doing so.  “The God of the Doors” is not a God who is indebted or under any obligation to His creatures to do otherwise!

Sola Gratia! By Grace Alone! Solus Christus!  By Christ Alone!  Soli Deo Gloria!  Only to God be the Glory!

Conclusion:

I.  The Requirements for Church Planting (14:21-23)

1.  Preach the Gospel (14:21)

2.  Confirm the Disciples (14:22)

3.  Ordain the Elders (14:23)

II. The Return through the Asian Provinces (14:24-25)

1.  Passage through Pisidia to Pamphylia (14:24)

2.  Preaching in Perga (14:25a)

3.  Arrival in Attalia (14:25b)

III.  The Report to the Antioch Church (14:26-28)

1.  The Work Fulfilled (14:26)

2.  The Church Gathered  (14:27a-b)

3.  The Door Opened (14:27c-28)

[Sermon preached 15 JUN 2014 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Resources on Acts:

G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.

Paul Barnett, The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years, After Jesus, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005).

Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).

                                                  

F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).

I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).

David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).

John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, Vol. 5 in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, gen. ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).

William H. Willimon, Acts, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, series ed. James Luther Mays, New Testament ed. Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).

Resources on Paul:

Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians  (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011).

F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977).

D. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 496-501.

W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life, Times and Travels of St. Paul, 2 vols. in 1, unabridged American ed. (New York: E. B. Treat U Co., 1869); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=Bn1CAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 12 FEB 2013].

Adolf Deissmann, Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History, 2nd ed., trans. William E. Wilson (New York: Harper Torchbooks, n.d.).

F. W. Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Paul (New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1889); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=RB2KeCSM6KsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 12 FEB 2013].

Bruce N. Fisk, “Paul: Life and Letters”, in The Face of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent Research, ed. Scot McKnight and Grant R. Osborne (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), pp. 283-325.

Richard B.Gaffin, Jr., "Acts and Paul", 46 lectures (MP3 format), WTS Resources Media Center on Westminster Theological Seminary at http://wts.edu/resources/media.html?paramType=audio&filterTopic=5&filterSpeaker=10&filterYear=2005 [accessed 20 MAR 2013].

Frank J. Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of the St. Paul According to the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistles (New York: American Tract Society, 1895); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=YgpEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 12 FEB 2013].

Richard N. Longenecker, The Ministry And Message Of Paul (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971).

Richard N. Longenecker, Paul, Apostle Of Liberty (New York: Harper & Row, 1964).

Richard N. Longenecker, ed., The Road From Damascus : The Impact Of Paul's Conversion On His Life, Thought, And Ministry (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

Richard N. Longenecker, Studies In Paul, Exegetical And Theological (Sheffield : Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2004).

J. Gresham Machen, The Origin of Paul's Religion: The James Sprunt Lectures Delivered at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1925).

Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1955).

John Pollock, The Apostle: A Life of Paul, 3rd ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1969, 2012); also published as The Man Who Shook the World (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1972; originally The Apostle: A Life of Paul, New York: Doubleday, 1969).

Stanley E. Porter, Paul in Acts, in Library of Pauline Studies, gen. ed. Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999; 2001 reprint of The Paul of Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism, Rhetoric and Theology, in Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen).

W. M. Ramsay, The Cities of St. Paul: Their Influence on his Life and Thought (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son; London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1908); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=JryEbmKool0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

W. M. Ramsay, Pauline and Other Studies in Early Christian History (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1906); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=-1ZJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen, 10th ed. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1907); on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ramsay/paul_roman.html [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

W. M. Ramsay, The Teaching of Paul in terms of The Present Day: The Deems Lectures in New York University (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914); on Internet Archive at http://ia600404.us.archive.org/2/items/teachingofpaulin00rams/teachingofpaulin00rams.pdf [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

A. T. Robertson, Epochs in the Life of Paul: A Study of Development in Paul's Character (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974).

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Paul The Missionary: Realities, Strategies And Methods (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008).

Udo Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003; trans. from Paulus: Leben und Denken, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., n.d.).

Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001).

James Stalker, The Life of St. Paul, (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1885; rev. ed. 2010 by Kessinger Publishing from 1912 ed.); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=vT0HAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 7 FEB 2013].

James Ironside Still, St. Paul on Trial (London: Student Christian Movement, 1923).

Endnotes:

[1] On the issue of “kingdom” in this verse see also: Stanley E. Porter, Paul in Acts, in Library of Pauline Studies, gen. ed. Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999; 2001 reprint of The Paul of Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism, Rhetoric and Theology, in Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen), pg. 162; Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1959), pp. 424-425; Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001), pp. 272-273.

[2]  For a more extended development of this see my discussion outline, “Theocratic Congregationalism: Solus Christus, Sola Scriptura, and Solus Spiritus in Church Polity” (16 APR 2014), on Wayside Gospel Chapel at http://waysidegospelchapel.blogspot.com/2014/04/theocratic-congregationalism-solus.html [accessed 16 JUN 2014].  See also Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001), pp. 383-395.

[3]  “He frames the report by the term ἔργον (work, assignment; Acts 13:2; 14:26), which signals the theological significance of the event: set apart by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Paul accomplish the work assigned to them by God and made possible by God’s help, namely, to open the door of faith to the Gentiles.  This gives the material grounds for resolving the problem of the Gentile mission that follows in Acts 15:1-35.” Udo Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003; trans. from Paulus: Leben und Denken, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., n.d.), pg. 120.