Shining in the Shadows

Acts 13:1-12 June 18, 2023 Pastor Alec Shoffeitt

Thesis The Christian life is a sent life, and Jesus sends us with all that we need: His people, His Word, His Spirit, and His hand.

Series

Paul's First Missionary Journey

Type

Expository

Tone

pastoraldidacticprophetic

Method

grammatical-historicalapplicatorycanonical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

44 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #31

"Applies the doctrine to personal testimony and then to the listener—other Christians help discern your sent calling."

Doctrinal loci· 3 surfaced

Sanctification · 6 Pastoral Theology · 4 Providence / Sovereignty · 2

Bible citations· 7

Acts 13:1-12 | Acts 11 | Acts 1 | Acts 13:2 | Acts 13:5

Illustrations· 9

personal story · unit #5 — Introduces a humorous personal observation about people lingering after church, setting up a cultural moment that will illustrate a spiritual truth.
personal story · unit #6 — Develops the illustration with humorous exaggeration about the measures taken to get people to leave, building toward the punchline.
personal story · unit #7 — Delivers the punchline of the illustration—John's repeated phrase that becomes the conceptual hinge for the sermon's thesis.
personal story · unit #24 — Introduces a personal story about wanting to take his sons camping during the pandemic to illustrate feeling unprepared for a task.
personal story · unit #25 — Develops the camping illustration by humorously emphasizing his complete lack of experience and preparation.
personal story · unit #26 — Completes the camping illustration by revealing he lacked all necessary equipment—the point being that inadequate preparation makes a task impossible.
hypothetical · unit #38 — Introduces a hypothetical reconstruction of how Barnabas might have reconnected with old acquaintances on Cyprus, using El Paso culture as an analogy.
hypothetical · unit #39 — Continues the hypothetical Barnabas conversation, showing how naturally his life story becomes gospel proclamation.
hypothetical · unit #40 — Develops a second hypothetical conversation with Paul, showing how his dramatic conversion story becomes immediate gospel testimony.

Theological claims· 11

Conversion does not require immediate external life upheaval in every area, though it may come eventually. unit #9
Conversion produces an ongoing internal pressure that prevents Christians from remaining unchanged in any area of life. unit #10
Conversion to the Lord involves a turn from one's former direction, not mere continuation. unit #13
The Christian life involves constant repentance—ongoing change from what you were to conformity with the Lord. unit #14
True gospel encounter and salvation necessarily result in change—you cannot remain where you were. unit #15
The Christian life is inherently a sent life—every Christian is sent, though where and how differs. unit #16
There is no junior varsity version of Christianity—the Christian life is a fully sent life for all. unit #22
Jesus sends Christians with everything they need to fulfill the sent life. unit #23
Paul and Barnabas's lives and the gospel are inextricably linked, providing natural platforms for proclamation. unit #41
The Word of God is powerful because it is God's Word, not because of human wisdom. unit #42
Christians are sent with the living, powerful Word of God, not mere human wisdom or life principles. unit #43

Quotations· 4

"You don't have to leave, but you can't stay here." — John (sound team member) (unit #7)

"You don't have to leave, but you can't stay here." — John (sound team member) (unit #13)

"the Christian life is one of constant repentance" — Martin Luther (unit #14)

"You will be my witnesses in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." — Jesus (unit #17)

Read it

Full transcript

17,557 characters 44 units ~20 min reading time

0 · Opens the sermon by directing attention to the biblical text and orienting the congregation to Acts 13, offering Bibles to those who need them

With that, let's turn our attention to the preaching of God's Word. Please open to the book of Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. There are some Bibles on the back table. If you don't have a Bible with you, you can grab one of those, and that's our gift to you.

1 · Introduces the sermon series and establishes the theological bridge from the previous Ephesians series to Acts—the gospel received must become the gospel shared

We're going to be beginning a miniseries this summer on Paul's first missionary journey in the book of Acts, and today we're going to see how this journey begins. And here's what I'm hoping to do as we connect Ephesians and Acts together. So in Ephesians, we spent almost a year Soaking in the good news of the grace of God. I hope with all of my heart that you have grown to love and appreciate the gospel of Jesus far more at the end of Ephesians than you did at the beginning of Ephesians. But that gospel filling our hearts and that grace of God welling up in us needs to be shared.

2 · Reinforces that the gospel's transformative work ripples outward and frames the reading as God's living Word, not mere history

It's not intended just to stay and transform our life, it's meant to ripple out and transform the lives of others. And so, we're going to see exactly that as we start this missionary journey with the Apostle Paul beginning in verse 1. And as we read, let's remember this isn't some dry history. This is God's Word.

3 · The full public reading of Acts 13:1-12, presenting the biblical account of Paul and Barnabas being sent from Antioch and confronting Elymas on Cyprus

"Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While 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.' Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone throughout the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician, for that is the meaning of his name, opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.' But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently and said, '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? And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.' And immediately Mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. And then the proconsul believed, for he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. This is God's Word.

4 · A brief pastoral prayer asking the Lord to work through the preaching to encourage, challenge, and strengthen the congregation

Lord, I pray that you would encourage us where we need to be encouraged, challenge us where we need to be challenged, and strengthen us where we need to be strengthened through the preaching of the Word, in Jesus' name. Amen.

5 · Introduces a humorous personal observation about people lingering after church, setting up a cultural moment that will illustrate a spiritual truth

Well, often our dear friend John is one of the last people to leave the church building. Our church has a consistent problem, a problem that not every church has, and the problem is this: people after church events will not leave the building. And you're laughing because that you are some of those people. Maybe you're here like, "I always leave right away." No, stay, it's good, but not for too long, because at some point we do have to turn We've got to lock the building up.

6 · Develops the illustration with humorous exaggeration about the measures taken to get people to leave, building toward the punchline

And so we've tried everything. We've tried shutting the AC down in the summer. People just stay. They just sweat and talk. You know, you're just like, "But what's wrong with you people?" I remember even for evening services, we'll start to turn lights off, like first those lights and then these lights and then— and people are just unfazed. They're just, like, pulling out their phone. They're like, "Yeah, uh-huh, so tell me about your week."

7 · Delivers the punchline of the illustration—John's repeated phrase that becomes the conceptual hinge for the sermon's thesis

And so consistently, John, because he's on the sound team so faithfully, often will yell something that I just love. I've probably heard this 100 times. So he will yell out into the group of people that don't want to leave. He'll yell, "You don't have to leave, but you can't stay here." Meaning like, "Look, you got to get out of here. I don't care where you go, but you got to go somewhere that's not here." Right?

8 · Signals the transition from the illustration to the theological principle it embodies—setting up the exposition of the Christian sent life

And in some ways, I love that because it's a summary of the Christian life. And here's what I mean.

9 · Qualifies the doctrine of conversion by clarifying that not all external life circumstances change immediately upon salvation

When we become Christians, that not everything in our life immediately changes. It's not as though we totally change our wardrobe and change our job and change our city and all of a sudden, just immediately upon becoming a Christian, go down to darkest Peru into the mountains and that's our life now. It may be your life eventually, but it doesn't mean that the moment you become a Christian, everything in your life changes in every area.

10 · Asserts the essential restlessness of the converted heart—the gospel creates internal pressure that prevents spiritual and missional stagnation

But there is a very consistent pressure and change that begins to well up in your heart that you can't stay where you are anymore. You can't stay where you are in every season, every area of life. Things begin to be rearranged and changed more and more and more.

11 · Draws from Acts 11 to show the historical precedent for the 'sent life'—the Antioch church exists because persecuted Jerusalem Christians moved and kept preaching

In fact, the whole church in Antioch exists because the Christians that believed in Jerusalem did not stay where they were. They heard the gospel in Jerusalem and Acts 11 tells us that because of the persecution that arose around the time of Stephen the martyr, a lot of these people left the city and came to places like Antioch.

12 · Exposits Acts 11 to show that the gospel-changed Christians preached to Hellenists in Antioch, resulting in conversions through the Lord's hand

The only problem was they were not the same people they had been when they arrived in Jerusalem before they heard the gospel. And the text says that there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them. And a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

13 · Draws the theological implication from Acts 11—conversion requires a turn, not continuity in the same direction

Meaning this: these people who had had their lives rearranged in Jerusalem find themselves in Antioch, and then they start preaching the gospel because they're different. And what happens? Those people who believe turn to the Lord. Meaning there is a turn when you come to the Lord. It's not just, okay, I'm going in the same way.

14 · Reinforces the doctrine of progressive sanctification using Luther's dictum and the put-off/put-on framework from Ephesians

Martin Luther said it famously, the Christian life is one of constant repentance. Meaning this, that it's a constant change from what you used to be to the things of the Lord. Things— in Ephesians we talked about things you put off and things you put on. There is a constant change that begins.

15 · States the central doctrinal claim undergirding the entire sermon—the gospel necessarily produces movement and change

The gospel, when you encounter it truly and the Lord opens your eyes and saves you, does not leave you where you are.

16 · Articulates the main thesis of the entire sermon series—every Christian without exception lives a sent life, though the particulars vary

So, Christian today, here's what I want you to hear as the sort of the banner over our whole miniseries in Acts: the Christian life is a sent life. For every Christian. Now, where they're sent, how they're sent, who they're sent to, that may be different, but no Christian is an unsent Christian. Every Christian is a sent Christian.

17 · Grounds the 'sent life' doctrine in Jesus' explicit commission in Acts 1:8, defining witness as essential to Christian identity

This is because of Jesus' words in Acts chapter 1, "You will be my witnesses in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." To be a Christian means to be a witness to who the Lord is and what He has done. And often you bear the very evidence of that with your own life.

18 · Directly confronts the consumer mentality toward the gospel—wanting the benefits without the life-rearranging demands

And so let me just encourage you, if you are a Christian, there is no way to be a Christian and stay where you are. You can't do it. You can't simply add the good things about being a Christian, like, "Oh, I want more peace. I want more joy. I want more of this. And I also just want to keep everything in life the exact same way it was before. I just am comfortable. I like this. I'd like to be more comfortable through the gospel." No, no, no, no. That's not— that's not— That's not it.

19 · Reframes the popular evangelical slogan 'God has a wonderful plan for your life' to mean sent missional engagement, not personal comfort

Axe has a wonderful plan for your life and it is a sent life. Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life and it involves you being sent somewhere to some people for the purposes of the gospel.

20 · Acknowledges the emotional and practical objection—many Christians feel inadequate to live the sent life—and signals the shift to addressing the resources God provides

So, that's the overall theme of the series, that you can't stay where you are. You must be sent out. But one of the challenges that happens when you realize, "Okay, I know I'm supposed to be sent. I'm probably supposed to share the gospel with somebody. I'm supposed to live differently." But I don't feel equipped to do this.

21 · The pastor transparently shares his own ongoing sense of inadequacy in gospel communication to build solidarity with the congregation

Listen, even though I've been a pastor for over a decade, there are many moments where I still feel inadequate to communicate the gospel winsomely and kind of respond to every single situation that occurs in life. I don't know what to do.

22 · Humorously dramatizes the internal resistance to full Christian obedience—the desire for a 'junior varsity' version—before asserting there is no such option

And so often when I hear, okay, the Christian life is a sent life, you're being sent out, you can't stay here, there's a part of me that goes, that's right, amen, let's do it. And there's another part of me that goes, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Is there like a. Like a junior version of Christianity that I can do? Like, can I join the junior varsity Christianity? I know that the senior varsity guys are out there with tracks and Bibles, like, boom, boom, kicking down doors and beating up demons. I want to be in the junior guys, right? Like, the. Like, you know, the guys with the little. You know, the little responsibilities, and they have little changes in their life, and they. And Jesus is like, "No." The Christian life is a sent life.

23 · Introduces the sermon's second major movement—God does not send unprepared; He equips with everything needed

But the good news is that Jesus sends us with all that we need. He sends us with all that we need.

24 · Introduces a personal story about wanting to take his sons camping during the pandemic to illustrate feeling unprepared for a task

During the pandemic, I felt the bug at a certain point to go camping with my boys. I think my boys at the time were like, you know, 5 and 7 or something like that. And I got into my head, we need to get out in nature. I've not done a good job as a dad at getting my kids out in nature. We're gonna get out and go camping.

25 · Develops the camping illustration by humorously emphasizing his complete lack of experience and preparation

Now, I want somebody to ask me, "Ricky, have you ever taken the family camping before then?" No, I had never taken the family camping before then. And further, somebody asked me, "Have you been camping, Ricky?" The answer is, I think maybe. I don't remember it very well. I remember being out, I'm not sure, you know, And so that's not a great starting place when you're pitching your wife, "Let me take small children with me into the woods camping."

26 · Completes the camping illustration by revealing he lacked all necessary equipment—the point being that inadequate preparation makes a task impossible

And so Jen began to point out a few flaws with this plan. One, my lack of knowledge. Two, my lack of preparation. Three, she pointed out very kindly and gently, "We don't own any camping equipment." That could also— and I was like, "Well, we have a tent. I did lose the rain flap when we were playing with it." So if it rains, we'll be wet, but we have the tent and I'm sure we could throw some snacks and blankets. It'll be fine. Right? And she's just like, no, you do not have what you need to go camping.

27 · Applies the camping illustration to the Christian life—many feel sent without the necessary equipment or qualifications

And maybe that's where you're at as a Christian today. Maybe you feel like, okay, I'm being sent out reluctantly. The Lord is pushing me into life. I'm supposed to go tell people about Jesus, supposed to live a sent life in the world, but I don't have any of the things I need. I don't have a degree in apologetics. I don't have a bunch of experience doing this. I don't have any of the things I need. You can't send me out there.

28 · Pivots from the problem (feeling unequipped) to the solution Acts provides, introducing the first resource: God's people

Well, that's why the book of Acts is such good news. It shows us today that we're sent with what we need. First thing we are sent with is we are sent with God's people.

29 · Exposits Acts 13:2 to show that the church community discerned the specific nature of Paul and Barnabas's calling through corporate wrestling

Now, the whole church is involved in praying and thinking and wrestling with Paul and Barnabas being sent out. Because if you notice, the Holy Spirit does not say, "Set apart Paul and Barnabas to go to Cyprus on a missionary church planting journey. No, it just says, "Set apart for me Paul and Barnabas for the work I've called them to." And so there was a lot of wrestling with, okay, what is that work? What are you good at?

30 · Develops the exposition by inferring how the Antioch church discerned Paul and Barnabas's giftings and applied them to a new missionary context

And very likely it was probably this church, think about this, that helped define the role and mission of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. Before this, they had not been church planting missionaries. They didn't just arrive into the world as church planting missionaries. It was this moment that they, prayed and thought and said, "You know what? Paul is really good at speaking the gospel clearly and teaching the Bible. And Barnabas is so encouraging. He just breathes life into people. And they've been really good taking this kind of motley crew of untested Christians and making them into a thriving local church. I wonder if they could do that in other places." Right?

31 · Applies the doctrine to personal testimony and then to the listener—other Christians help discern your sent calling

Let me just say, it has been of incalculable value in my own life having other Christians involved in my life to help me discern where and how and when I'm being sent as a Christian. Many Christians, I think, get stuck because they hear, "You're supposed to be sent," and then they're just like, "Ah, I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go." Well, this is where God gives the people of God to you as a gift. People of God who say, "I think you're good at this. Here's a thought about that. Here's how I would approach my work if I were you. I wonder, have you thought about this?" That is part of being sent with God's people.

32 · Exposits the text to show that Paul was not sent alone but with partners, emphasizing the wisdom of team ministry

They're not just sent by God's people, they're also then sent with God's people, meaning this. Notice that the Holy Spirit wisely says— does not say, "Set apart for me Paul," and that's it. No, he sets apart two men that could work together. And, in fact, they recruit a third guy who gets a little waffly later in Acts, but then ends up having a huge comeback and writing the Gospel of Mark. So, he ends up being a good dude.

33 · Synthesizes the exposition—the church both discerns calling and provides companions for the mission

And these three, and possibly others, were sent out by the church in Antioch to this island of Cyprus. They're sent together. So, not only does the church help them discern how the Lord has sent them, the church also goes with them.

34 · Applies the principle with a concrete local example—joining an existing ministry team removes the overwhelming sense of isolation in mission

So, let me just encourage you, if you're a Christian and it seems overwhelming to be sent, Maybe it's because you don't see that you're sent with others. You're not doing this on your own. I was talking to somebody that had joined the neighborhood outreach team, and they just were sharing how it felt so overwhelming when we would hear teaching on, "Hey, let's go get, you know, take the gospel to people in El Paso." And they're just like, "I don't know where or how or what, you know, what neighborhood to start in." And so they just joined the neighborhood outreach team and thought, "Oh, okay, these people are already doing this. I'm just going to link arms with them." Like, that's what the church does. We work together. We're sent together.

35 · Signals the shift to the second resource God provides—His Word

Second thing we're sent with, we're sent with the Word of God.

36 · Defines 'Word of God' in Acts 13:5 as specifically the gospel message, not general biblical teaching

Now, we know when it says they proclaim the Word of God, we know from the context of Acts that this is shorthand for the gospel message. The Word of God is not just kind of some random teaching in the Old Testament. That Word of God is the word of the gospel, the good news, the good news that Jesus came as God's Son to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins that we might be restored to God through Jesus Christ, right? That is the good news.

37 · Observes the natural overflow—those changed by the gospel proclaim the gospel that changed them

And so Paul and Barnabas, whose lives, by the way, who have been changed by the message of the gospel of Jesus, then go share that message of the gospel of Jesus with others.

38 · Introduces a hypothetical reconstruction of how Barnabas might have reconnected with old acquaintances on Cyprus, using El Paso culture as an analogy

I mean, think about what these conversations would have been like. Barnabas, we learned, was actually from Cyprus. And so, Side note, probably one of the reasons they started in Cyprus is Barnabas was from there and maybe he knew folks, he was familiar with it. So hey, it seems wise, let's start there. And so people would go up to Barnabas. I don't know if Cyprus is like El Paso. You know, it's just like, you see somebody like from 10 years ago, you're like, hey, and you're trying to remember their name. Ah, Eddie, you know, and you're like, bro, what have you been doing? And they start to describe, oh, I was over here. You know, I lived in Dallas or I lived in Phoenix and I came back, which is everyone who lives in El Paso. Has at one point lived in Dallas or Phoenix or LA and come back. That's the whole population of El Paso.

39 · Continues the hypothetical Barnabas conversation, showing how naturally his life story becomes gospel proclamation

And so you're like, hey, what was the last 10 years for you? And they start to describe it. Well, in Barnabas's case, he was like, yeah, well, I went to Jerusalem, I was living there, my life got turned upside down. I heard this message about Jesus of Nazareth, who I believe now is the Messiah of Israel, and he's changed my life. You're like, whoa. Oh, okay. Like that, from the very beginning he's preaching the gospel.

40 · Develops a second hypothetical conversation with Paul, showing how his dramatic conversion story becomes immediate gospel testimony

Or talking to Paul. Hey Paul, well, what's your background? What did you used to do before, I guess, traveling around telling people about Jesus? Like, oh, I did a lot of traveling before this. Oh yeah, what kind? Mostly persecution. What were you persecuting? Jesus of Nazareth and his church. Like, oh bro, isn't that— wait, I'm confused. That thing you're telling us now though? Like, yep. Yeah, that was me. Yeah. I heard about a really angry guy that was going around just persecuting people. That was me. Yeah, that's right. And now I'm here. But now you're here to tell me about Jesus and why he's great? Yep, that's exactly right. Right?

41 · Draws the theological principle from the illustration—life and gospel become inseparable, creating natural platforms for proclamation

Do you imagine Paul and Barnabas, their story and the gospel, their life and the gospel are inextricably linked. And they then use that as a platform to proclaim the gospel and the word of God.

42 · Asserts the intrinsic power of Scripture—it carries its own divine authority independent of the messenger's qualities

Notice this, the Word of God is powerful, not because it's a collection of Paul's wisdom sayings or Barnabas' encouragement. The Word of God is powerful because it is the Word of God. It has changed them, it is being heralded, it will change others.

43 · Applies the doctrine of Scripture's sufficiency and power to Christians today—we are sent with God's living Word, not human wisdom

And so we're not sent with a collection of pithy sayings. We're not sent with a collection of wise sort of life principles. We're sent with the Word of God. The living, powerful, effective Word of God.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Sep 18, 2022

Power to Lead Us Home

The immeasurable power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him above all authorities now resides in believers to sustain them until the day when their hope and inheritance become their eternal reality.

Ephesians 1:15-23

Nov 27, 2022

Church Growth, God's Way

Jesus gives gifts to his church so we can grow together to look more like our Savior.

Ephesians 4:7-16

Mar 26, 2023

Jesus, His Church and Husbands

Husbands are to love their wives by imitating Christ's sacrificial love for the church, dying to themselves for their wives' flourishing and thereby displaying the gospel to the world.

Ephesians 5:25-33

June 18 · This sermon

Shining in the Shadows

The Christian life is a sent life, and Jesus sends us with all that we need: His people, His Word, His Spirit, and His hand.

Acts 13:1-12

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In Acts 13:1-5, what specific actions does the Holy Spirit prompt the church at Antioch to take, and what does the church's immediate obedie…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we walk through the foundational claims about the sent life: conversion demands change, the Christian life is inherently missional, and Jesus equips us completely for what He sends us to do.

Prayer

Prayer for a Sent People

Father, we come before you in awe of your sovereign grace. You are the God who sends, who equips, and who goes before us in power. We confes…

Family table

Sent Somewhere to Someone

This prompt invites your family to think concretely about what it means that Jesus sends us—not as an abstract idea, but as something real i…

Couples

Sent Together: A Couple's Calling

What did you hear about being 'sent' this week, and what stirred in your heart—conviction, comfort, or something else?…

Memorize

Acts 13:2

This verse captures the sermon's central thesis that the Christian life is fundamentally a sent life—God calls and equips His people for His mission. It anchors the dual reality of the sermon: that we are sent by God's Spirit, and that we are sent together with His people, making it the essential foundation for understanding what it means to live as a Christian.

Couples · three questions over coffee

Sent Together: A Couple's Calling

What did you hear about being 'sent' this week, and what stirred in your heart—conviction, comfort, or something else?
Where might the Lord be calling us to change or move together—spiritually, relationally, or in how we engage our community—and what's keeping us from saying yes?
How can we pray for each other this week to embrace being sent as a couple, and what specific way would you like me to encourage you toward that?

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In Acts 13:1-5, what specific actions does the Holy Spirit prompt the church at Antioch to take, and what does the church's immediate obedience tell us about their understanding of what it means to follow Jesus?

Acts 13:2-3

→ When you think about your own life right now, where might Jesus be calling you to move—spiritually, relationally, or missionally—that you've been hesitant to embrace?
The sermon argues that conversion produces 'an ongoing internal pressure that prevents Christians from remaining unchanged in any area of life.' What does Paul's willingness to travel to Cyprus and confront Elymas reveal about how deeply the gospel had transformed him?
Elymas the magician actively opposed Paul's proclamation of the gospel to Sergius Paulus. How does Paul's response to this opposition—and the outcome—demonstrate what the sermon means when it says 'Jesus sends us with His hand' to overcome opposition we cannot match in our own strength?

Acts 13:8-12

→ What are some forms of opposition—cultural, relational, or ideological—that you or our church currently face when we seek to proclaim Christ?
The sermon emphasizes that Paul and Barnabas were sent with God's Word—described as 'powerful because it is God's Word, not because of human wisdom.' Why is this distinction crucial for how we approach witnessing to others, especially in conversations about topics like gender and sexuality?
According to the sermon, 'other Christians are God's gift to help you discern where and how you are sent.' Reflect on how the church at Antioch's corporate discernment (Acts 13:1-3) shaped Paul and Barnabas's calling. How has the body of Christ helped clarify your own sense of calling or direction?

Acts 13:1-3

→ Where might you be isolating from the church's wisdom or counsel in some area of your life right now?
The sermon presents the Christian life as inherently a 'sent life' for all believers—not just missionaries or pastors. What would need to shift in how you think about your work, relationships, and daily interactions if you truly believed Jesus has sent you with His people, Word, Spirit, and hand to accomplish His purposes?

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

Monday Acts 11

Luke's account of Peter's vision and the conversion of Gentiles in Acts 11 shows how the Spirit's work in conversion creates an inescapable tension—Peter cannot witness what God has done and remain comfortable in his former categories. This is the interior work of grace: conversion does not permit us to settle into spiritual stasis. We are compelled by what God has wrought in us to continual repentance and reorientation.

Tuesday Acts 1

When the risen Jesus commissions His followers in Acts 1, He does not leave them as contemplatives but as witnesses—sent to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. This pattern is not reserved for apostles or exceptional believers; it defines what it means to follow Christ. We are not called to Christian comfort but to Christian commission, each of us stationed by the Spirit in particular places and seasons to testify to His power.

Wednesday Acts 13:2

The Holy Spirit's direction to set apart Barnabas and Paul comes *in the context of corporate worship and fasting*—the church together discerns the call that individuals must answer. We do not navigate our sent-ness alone; the body of Christ reads God's work in our lives, confirms the Spirit's direction, and sends us with their prayers and affection. This is the grace of corporate discernment: God uses His people to clarify His calling in our hearts.

Thursday Acts 13:5

Paul and Barnabas do not arrive in Cyprus with clever arguments or cultural accommodation; they carry the Word of God itself, which accomplishes what it intends (Isaiah 55:11). When Elymas opposes them, their resource is not rhetorical skill but the sovereign efficacy of Scripture. The Word we are sent with carries its own transforming power—we speak what God has spoken, and that utterance bears the weight of His authority and truth.

Friday Acts 13:1-12

In this passage, Paul and Barnabas are sent with His people (the prophets and teachers of Antioch), His Word (proclaimed and vindicated), and His Spirit (guiding their steps and empowering their proclamation against opposition). As we face the cultural pressures of our own age—including questions of truth and identity that seem to demand compromise—we have the same resources: a church to encourage us, Scripture that speaks with clarity and compassion, and the Holy Spirit who counsels us in situations beyond our own wisdom. The sent life is not a burden we shoulder alone; it is a grace we receive together.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

Prayer for a Sent People

Father, we come before you in awe of your sovereign grace. You are the God who sends, who equips, and who goes before us in power. We confess that we often settle into comfort, resisting the internal pressure of the gospel that calls us to constant change and perpetual sending. We acknowledge our fear of upheaval, our love of stability, and our reluctance to leave what is familiar—whether in our spiritual growth, our relationships, or our missional witness. We admit that we sometimes live as though conversion were a destination rather than the beginning of a sent life.

Yet the gospel humbles us and fills us with hope. In Christ, we have been turned from our former direction and set on a new path (Acts 13:1-12). The Holy Spirit has set us apart and sent us, just as He sent Paul and Barnabas from Antioch. We are not left to navigate this sent life alone or unprepared. Jesus sends us with His people to discern our calling together, with His powerful Word that carries transformation in itself, with His Spirit to guide us in situations beyond our wisdom, and with His sovereign hand to overcome the opposition we cannot match in our strength.

We ask you, O Father, to deepen our conviction that there is no junior varsity version of Christianity—that every one of us, without exception, is sent for gospel purposes. Grant us courage to embrace the change that conversion demands, to turn from comfort as our ultimate aim, and to receive the gift of one another in discerning where and how you are sending us. As our culture opposes gospel truth, give us both clarity to proclaim Christ and love to honor those who oppose us. Make us a people who shine in the shadows, not because of our own wisdom or strength, but because we carry the living, powerful Word of God and the presence of your Spirit.

We commit ourselves afresh to the sent life, trusting that you have equipped us with all we need. To you be glory and dominion forever.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

Sent Somewhere to Someone

For the parent

This prompt invites your family to think concretely about what it means that Jesus sends us—not as an abstract idea, but as something real in their own lives. Listen for where kids naturally sense God might be calling them, even in small ways.

In the sermon, Paul and Barnabas were sent by Jesus to tell people about Him in a new place. Jesus sends every Christian somewhere to someone. Where do you think Jesus might be sending you—maybe to a friend, a neighbor, your school, or somewhere else—to share His love or tell people about Him?

works for ages 7+

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Acts 13:2

While 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.'

Why this verse: This verse captures the sermon's central thesis that the Christian life is fundamentally a sent life—God calls and equips His people for His mission. It anchors the dual reality of the sermon: that we are sent by God's Spirit, and that we are sent together with His people, making it the essential foundation for understanding what it means to live as a Christian.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Power to Lead Us Home (Ephesians 1:15-23, 2022-09-18)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/09/power-to-lead-us-home)
- [Church Growth, God's Way (Ephesians 4:7-16, 2022-11-27)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/11/church-growth-god-s-way)
- [Jesus, His Church and Husbands (Ephesians 5:25-33, 2023-03-26)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2023/03/jesus-his-church-and-husbands)
- [Shining in the Shadows (Acts 13:1-12, 2023-06-18)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2023/06/shining-in-the-shadows)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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