Scripture Reference

Acts 15: 36-41 and 2 Timothy 4: 11

Sermon Audio

Sermon Notes

During this time of transition as we work to implement the new 2020 Vision for Lake Ridge Baptist, let’s take a look at the emerging Christian Church as it is described in the book of Acts.

Church leaders and members will often say “We are modeling our church after the New Testament Christian Church.” The assumption might then be that these Christian faith communities in Jerusalem and other areas of Palestine were amazing examples of churches alive and full of God’s spirit and zeal. And that would be a correct assumption. But…. don’t assume that there wasn’t a little messiness.

  • Under the new covenant of grace granted through Jesus Christ, these Jewish Christians were suddenly free from the law.
  • How difficult might it have been to embrace this new freedom?
    • The Apostle Peter had to be literally knocked into a deep sleep by God to learn he could eat food he had never dared to eat (Acts 10).
    • When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he had some explaining to do. The Jerusalem Christians heard him out and took a few steps further into unchartered territory.
  • Saul of Tarsus was blinded by the light of Jesus Christ and became a believer, and began preaching in the synagogues…. and it gets messy.
    • Jews have been fighting this rising movement of Jesus followers and Saul had been their ally.
    • Now Saul was preaching and converting others to become disciples of Jesus.
  • Paul went to Jerusalem to seek out Peter…but this gets messy too. The Christian disciples didn’t know what to do with him since he had been persecuting Christians not long before.
  • Then Barnabas enters the picture. We hear about him early in Acts where he is quietly financially supporting the church. Now he is supporting Saul.
  • Saul stays with the disciples in Jerusalem, and…it doesn’t take long for things to get messy.
    • Saul can’t keep his mouth shut.
    • The Jerusalem disciples want him out of the city.
    • Saul goes to Caesarea and then is shipped back to Tarsus.
    • “And then there was peace.” (Acts 9: 31)
      • Individuals who have the potential to greatly impact our world and the kingdom of God also have the potential to create hugely large messes.
  • Barnabas is assisting the Christians at Antioch and the church continues to grow. He decides he needs help and seeks out none other than Saul.
  • The story of Barnabas and Saul is an interesting one.
    • Barnabas, the son of encouragement
    • Saul, blindly zealous for Jesus
    • The two work together in Antioch for a year. Then to Jerusalem. When they leave back to Antioch, they have a young tag-along, John Mark (a cousin of Barnabas).
      • Saul and Barnabas are commissioned to take the message of Christ to the ends of the earth.
      • John Mark was with them.
      • Barnabas began to be overshadowed by Saul (now called Paul).

Visit Pastor Mark’s blog to read the entire transcript of this sermon at A Different Voice – It Gets Messy