2. ENGAGE in
KINGDOM BUILDING
Acts 13 & 14
NOVEMBER 18, 2012
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA

4. Focal Passages:
*Go Where God Sends
Acts 13:1-4
*Grow People Through
Teaching Acts 14:21-22
*Connect to the Kingdom
Acts 14:23-28

6. This Lesson Is About:
The focused activities of
transformational churches
is to build the kingdom of
God by making disciples.

8. This lesson will help to
refocus your priorities on
building the kingdom of
God through being a
disciple and a disciple
maker.

10. In A.D. 405, a sixteen year
old boy named Patrick
was kidnapped from his
well- to-do home in Great
Britain and transported to
Ireland where he was sold
to a farmer and given

11. the responsibility of
taking care of the man’s
sheep.
*As a shepherd, he
encountered the Great
Shepherd and purposed
to follow Him.

12. *After six years of slavery
he escaped and returned
home only to be called by
God to the priesthood &
to an unlikely mission of
returning to the land of
his servitude.

13. *But Patrick was a slave to
Christ now, and the Lord
gave him a sense of
compassion for the Irish.

14. Patrick returned to pagan
Ireland, determined to
bring the Gospel to people
enslaved by superstition
and Celtic religion.
*Traveling throughout the
land, he baptized

15. thousands of new
converts, discipled new
believers, trained church
leaders, ordained pastors,
exerted discipline on
unrepentant church
members, and

16. commissioned more
evangelists.
*He started scores of
churches and witnessed to
kings and their courts,
farmers and peasants.

17. *He also forcefully
protested injustices
against the common
people.
*By the time he died,
about A.D. 461, he had
started a church

18. movement that
transformed ancient
Ireland.
*Saint Patrick only
mimicked what had been
done at the inception of
the Christian movement.

21. *The early church in
Antioch launched the
Christian faith outside its
geographical and cultural
context, sending Barnabas
and Paul on their first
missionary journey to

22. Asia Minor to build God’s
kingdom by making
disciples and establishing
churches.
*It was a dangerous yet
glorious time for the
infant movement.

23. *They rode the winds of
the Spirit to faraway
places to build God’s
kingdom.

24. Go Where God Sends
Acts 13:1-4 HCSB
1 “In the church that was
at Antioch there were
prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Simeon who
was called Niger, Lucius

25. the Cyrenian, Manaen, a
close friend of Herod the
tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they were
ministering to the Lord
and fasting, the Holy
Spirit said,

26. “Set apart for Me
Barnabas and Saul for
the work I have called
them to.”
3 Then after they had
fasted, prayed, and laid
hands on them, they sent

27. them off.
4 Being sent out by the
Holy Spirit, they came
down to Seleucia, and
from there they sailed to
Cyprus.”
Acts 13:1-4

28. These five men brought
together a racial, cultural,
and ethnic diversity,
evident in the Antioch
church.
Barnabas was a Levite
from Cyprus.

29. Simeon, whose
complexion was
apparently darker than
most Syrians hence the
nickname Niger [NIGH
guhr] (Latin for black),
probably came from

30. Cyrene or somewhere else
in North Africa (Libya).

31. Tradition states that the
sons of Simon, Rufus and
Alexander, became
missionaries; the inclusion
of their names in the
Gospel of Mark suggests
that they were of some

32. standing in the early
Christian community at
Rome.
*It has even been
suggested that the Rufus
mentioned by Paul
in Romans 16:13 is the son

33. of Simon of Cyrene.
Some also link Simon
himself with the "men of
Cyrene" who preached
the Gospel to the Greeks
in Acts 11:20.

34. Lucius [LYOO shuhs],
mentioned here in our
passage was also from
Cyrene.
*He possibly was one of
the founders of the
Antioch church.

35. Manaen [MAN uh en]
(meaning comforter), a
close friend of Herod the
tetrarch, apparently
reared with this Herod.
*Herod the tetrarch ruled
Galilee and Peraea from

36. 4 B.C. to A.D. 39, and had
John the Baptist executed.
*Thus Manaen came from
a high social status.
*Saul (his Jewish name)
or Paul (his Latin or
Roman name) was the

37. converted Pharisee from
Tarsus in Cilicia.
*Raised in Greek culture,
trained in rabbinic
Judaism, but now
passionate about Jesus,
Saul was listed last but

38. would soon become first
among the group.
*These five men
comprised a world
fellowship, initiating a
world movement.

39. *Barnabas exemplified a
man who lived in this
world, but lived for
another kingdom. *His
encouraging model for a
Christ-centered life serves
as a pattern for us today.

41. Taken together,
ministering to the Lord
and fasting indicated a
period of focused,
dedicated devotion to
God, foregoing food or
other needs or comforts in

42. order to hear from God
and sense His direction.
*Sincere worship always
involves listening.
*In fact, the heart is most
sensitive to the Spirit’s
leading in the worshiping

43. context.
*As we worship God, look
for His direction.
*His calling and sending
has not changed.
*He needs the likes of you
and me to communicate

44. His message to the world.
*This church was expectant,
sensitive to the Spirit’s
leadership.
*They were not strategizing
or planning; they were
seeking God’s direction.

45. These words come from
an old verb meaning to
mark off by boundaries
and communicates that

46. the church was to mark
off or put a boundary
around Barnabas and Paul
to serve elsewhere as led
by the Holy Spirit.

47. *In this case, they would
travel as missionaries to
new frontiers to share the
Gospel story.

48. Antioch provided the
primitive church a Gentile
political, cultural, and
economic center beyond
Jerusalem to serve as
headquarters for its
expanding work and has

49. become a symbol of the
development of the
Christian movement from
a sect of Judaism to a
universal faith.
*Both in Galatians and in
Acts, the message is quite

50. clear: the Gospel is for all
people; Jesus Christ is the
Savior of all mankind!
*At Antioch, the mission
to all the world began.

51. For the church to expand
and God’s kingdom to
grow, Christianity had to
venture outside the walls
of the church.

52. We would not be
evangelized if these men
had not stepped out of
their comfort zones and
embarked on a great
missionary adventure.

53. *They dared to be
obedient.
*Who in your world needs
to know Jesus and is
waiting on you to step out
to tell them about Him?

54. *Are you willing to step
outside of your world and
tell others about Christ
and build His kingdom?
*Are you making
disciples?

55. Grow People Through
Teaching
Acts 14:21-22
21 “After they had
evangelized that town
and made many
disciples, they returned

56. to Lystra, to Iconium, and
to Antioch,
22 strengthening the
disciples by encouraging
them to continue in the
faith and by telling them,
“It is necessary to pass

57. through many troubles
on our way into the
kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:21-22

59. Barnabas and Paul
established churches by
sharing the Good News
and making many
disciples.

60. *The word disciple comes
from the word meaning to
learn, but means more
than just a pupil or a
student.

61. *It means one who learns
from the Master to the
extent of becoming like
the Master, Jesus.

63. They could have taken a
shorter route and easier
journey.
*Instead, they risked their
lives to return to the
churches they had
established in these towns.

64. *Paul was stoned and left
to die in Lystra.
*There were plots to stone
them in Iconium.
*They had been driven
out of Antioch.

65. Yet they repeatedly,
courageously risked their
lives to proclaim the
Gospel in an effort to win
new converts and nurture
those with new-found
faith.

66. In spite of Jewish hostility
and painful experiences,
they stayed at the task
given by Jesus to make
disciples.

67. *They demonstrated that
evangelism and
discipleship go together.

68. *The last thing they
wanted was unnurtured,
untaught, and
undeveloped spiritual
infants.

72. “In fact, though by this time
you ought to be teachers, you
need someone to teach you the
elementary truths of God’s
word all over again. You need
milk, not solid food!”
Hebrews 5:12

73. *Their responsibility
included not only leading
new believers to faith, but
growing them in the faith.

74. Sergius Paulus became
Paul’s first named convert
in Scripture.
(Acts 13:4-12)

75. What began as “Barnabas
and Saul” became “Paul
and his companions” by
the time they left the
island. (Acts 13:13)

76. Paul and Barnabas were
recognized as visitors in
the synagogue of Pisidian
Antioch and were invited
to share a word with the
people. (Acts 13:14-15)

77. With an open invitation to
preach, Paul’s first
recorded sermon in Acts
emphasized the theme of
God’s grace.
(Acts 13:16-42)

78. Paul had been left for
dead but when he
regained consciousness,
he went back into the city
where he had almost been
killed. (Acts 14:8-20)

79. *The missionaries were
concerned as to the
reception of the Gospel by
the people.
*If the last thing the
people of Lystra saw of
these itinerant preachers

80. was one of them being
dragged out of town
assumed dead, then that
would have been their
final image of the Gospel.

84. *Paul seemingly wanted
to show the people that he
and the Gospel were still
alive!

85. *The next town on the
road southeast of Derbe
was Tarsus – Paul’s home.

86. *This would have been a
possible choice for the
missionaries to bring an
end to their initial effort at
taking the Gospel to the
Mediterranean world.

88. *Earlier efforts in Antioch
of Syria (the next city east
of Tarsus) had been
fruitful.

89. *How fruitful the efforts
had been in those
Galatian cities was
debatable.

90. In an understated fashion,
Acts 14:21-22 indicated
that Paul and Barnabas
decided to return to those
three cities where they
had experienced
persecutions.

91. Paul’s exhortation that
“through many tribulations
we must enter the kingdom
of God” reflected his
seriousness about the reality
of the Gospel message in
one’s life.

92. *After discipling the new
believers, the missionaries
retraced their steps back
to Perga and then set sail
to return again to the
place of their departure,
Antioch of Syria.

94. *What has often been
termed as “Paul’s first
missionary journey”
established the paradigm
for later missionary
endeavors.

95. Typically, ministry would
begin in the synagogue on
the Sabbath and then go
to the marketplace during
the week.
With this method the
Gospel reached a large

96. and diverse audience.
The Acts 13-14 description
of this “journey” portrayed
a missionary team of
human and divine
partners.

97. *Leading the missionary
group was the Holy Spirit
Who gave the words to
speak, protection, and
guidance.
*Paul and Barnabas’
brilliance was in their

98. committed obedience to
the Holy Spirit’s
leadership.

99. They accomplished their
disciple-making through a
threefold process.
*First, the believers were
strengthened or
instructed.

100. *Teaching God’s Word
builds up believers.
*God’s Word through
God’s Spirit shapes God’s
children to become like
God’s Son.

101. Second, the believers were
encouraged (exhorted or
urged) to remain true to
the faith.
*The faith here indicates
the core collection of
doctrine or beliefs central

102. to following Jesus.
*They knew that
beginners not yet
established in the faith
could fall away.
*Conversion must pass on
to continuation.

103. *Third, the believers were
warned of persecution.
*They would pass
through many troubles.

104. *The word troubles
indicates the pressure that
comes when one is
painfully squeezed.
*Barnabas and Paul’s
hardships in Lystra,
Iconium, and Antioch

105. served as compelling
examples of suffering and
hardship, experienced at
every turn on their
missionary journey.

107. *But, adversity and
harassment because of
their faith was the path
into the kingdom of God.
*Tribulations develop and
strengthen the believers’
faith (John 16:33).

108. We will encounter
difficulties from worldly
opposition as we engage
in kingdom-building
work.

110. *Opposition is a normal
part of the Christian walk
and witness.
*When we embark on
kingdom-building activity
we are entering hostile
territory.

111. *The world hates God’s
work.
*And, when believers are
snatched from the Devil, it
angers him all the more.
*But we must grow people
through teaching

112. them anyway.

113. Connect to the Kingdom
Acts 14:23-28
23 “When they had
appointed elders in every
church and prayed with
fasting, they committed
them to the Lord in

114. whom they had believed.
24 Then they passed
through Pisidia and came
to Pamphylia.
25 After they spoke the
message in Perga, they
went down to Attalia.

115. 26 From there they sailed
back to Antioch where
they had been entrusted
to the grace of God for
the work they had now
completed.

116. 27 After they arrived and
gathered the church
together, they reported
everything God had done
with them and that He
had opened the door of
faith to the Gentiles.

117. 28 And they spent a
considerable time with
the disciples.”
Acts 14:23-28

118. Not only did Paul and
Barnabas establish new
churches, they, also,
organized the churches
with a leadership
structure.

119. They appointed elders.
The word elder was often
used for older persons,
but here it referred to
mature believers,
overseeing a
congregation’s spiritual

120. health.
*Elder, from a Jewish term,
and bishop, from a Greek
one, designate the same
office.
*No professional clergy
existed at that time.

121. Following the Jewish
synagogue’s leadership
pattern, these men were
chosen from within the
congregation to provide
oversight and leadership.

122. They might not have been
ideal candidates, but they
were available and
willing.
*They would have known
the people, the problems,
and the environment.

123. The plural elders
suggested that this group
shared in the task of
leading the church.
*The contemporary
practice of “one pastor,
one church” seems

124. unknown in the early
church.

125. The elders were
appointed.
The compound word
means to stretch the hand,
implying a voting process.
Possibly Paul and
Barnabas chose the elders

127. and the congregation
approved the selection
with a vote.
The vote occurred in
conjunction with the
church praying with
fasting.

128. Fasting aided praying, as
time and attention
normally given to cooking
and eating was instead
given to devotion and
concentration on God’s
leading.

129. The elder’s appointment
was a serious matter,
requiring God’s direction,
accomplished in a public
meeting.

130. Clearly Paul and Barnabas
concentrated on the major
cities, challenging the
believers once discipled to
present the gospel message
to more remote areas.

131. The estimated length of
time of the the first
missionary journey lasted
anywhere between one
and two years.

132. *Assembled together, they
gave God the credit for
what He had done.
*We too acknowledge
God’s role in seeing people
move from spiritual death
to spiritual life.

134. They reported, first, what
God had done with them.
*God had held true to His
promise.
*While He had not
insulated them from
hardship, He had walked

135. with them through His
presence and His power.
*They reported, second,
what God had done for
kingdom expansion.
*The Antioch experiment
of sending out

136. missionaries proved a
tremendous success.
*Using the language of
Jesus, Who described
Himself as “the door” to
salvation (John 10:9), God
had opened the door of

137. faith to the Gentiles.
(This development would
be the subject of the
Jerusalem Conference
recorded in Acts 15.)
*The pathway into the
secular world had opened.

138. The people were
receptive.
*Obedient disciples were
needed to step through
the opened … door.

140. The door still stands open
to the whole world today.
*Believers should
recognize that every
human being should have
an opportunity to hear the
Gospel.

141. Willing and available
disciples are still needed
to step through the door,
venturing outside of
comfort zones to engage a
lost but receptive world
with the Gospel message.

143. While in Antioch,
however, word came to
Paul of danger in
southern Galatia—Jewish
believers more committed
to the law than to grace
had begun to undermine

144. Paul’s teaching,
emphasizing instead the
Jewish law.
*What we know as the
Book of Galatians was
Paul’s response, the first
of his contributions to

145. Scripture.

146. The study theme for this
four-lesson study is “The
Church: Transforming
Lives in a Changing
Culture.”
*A church intent on
transforming society will

147. organize for effective
ministry with capable and
godly leaders, will
develop disciples to
maturity in the faith, and
will deploy missionaries
locally and globally so

148. God’s kingdom expands.
*In what ways can you
and your class focus or
refocus on building the
kingdom of God through
building disciples?

149. *How are the members of
your class developing
their faith?
*Let’s not wait for others
to model the normal
Christian life; you can be
the example in

150. management, maturity,
and missions. Consider
today what personal steps
you can take and what
activities your class can
accomplish to engage in
kingdom building.

151. Biblical Truths
• The Christian church
today needs to reflect the
early church: diversity of
cultures within and
departure to communicate
without.

152. • God’s call has always
been missional—off one’s
seat and into the street.
• A well-equipped
disciple is a well-taught
disciple, focused on the
fundamentals of the faith.

153. • Effective churches have
leaders who focus on
building the kingdom of
God and correspondingly
have members who wish
to be used in that building
process.

154. • When believers obey the
Great Commission, they
will have stories to tell of
God’s powerful activity.

155. Ask God to help you
focus (or refocus) your
priorities on building the
kingdom of God through
building disciples.

156. Matthew 28:18-20 KJV
18 “And Jesus came and
spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations,

157. baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost:
20 Teaching them to
observe all things
whatsoever I have

158. commanded you: and, lo,
I am with you always,
even unto the end of the
world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20 KJV

159. Next week:
Hit the Streets
Acts 17:16-31