Acts 14:21-28

The statistics are actually not even kind of close. The number of people who celebrate Mother’s Day, this is numbers from a few years ago, is around 84.5%. The number who celebrate Father’s Day, 76.1%. Overall spending on Mother’s Day, $19.9 billion. Overall spending on Father’s Day, $12.5 billion. You see a pattern here. Average spending per person on Mother’s Day, $162.94, large amount. Average spending on Father’s Day, $113.80, a difference of almost $50 between moms and dads. People who give a card to mom on Mother’s Day, 81.3%. People who give a card to dad, 64.1%. Even this year, when we were planning our Mother’s Day in our church, we planned it two, three months before. When it came to Father’s Day, I noticed that the planning started about two weeks before. Hopefully it won’t be reflected on our gift today. But here’s the good news. 43% of dads will get an apparel as a gift, only compared to 33% of moms. So dads, enjoy the tie that you’re gonna get today, which is not our gift, by the way. And don’t take the ties that are standing over there either. But happy Father’s Day to all the fathers that are here. We are so grateful for you, and we pray that God’s blessings will abound in your life, and the Spirit of God will enable all of us to be the dads and fathers and grandparents that God has called us to be.

Many of us traveled this week. Many went to different places. Our pastor went through a medical procedure this week. And all this, in the midst of all this, we experienced the grace and protection of God. So grateful to be worshiping the Lord with all of you in good health, and so grateful for His protection and care in each one of our lives. And welcome to all the guests that are worshiping with us for the first time.

As we continue with our serious Church on the Move, we’ll be focusing today from Acts 14:21-28. Acts 14:21-28. Verse 21 reads like this. They preached the gospel, Paul and Barnabas, in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

They preached the gospel in that city. What city is it? Verse 20 told us how they had, after being stoned in Lystra, and almost given to die there, and they thought he was dead, and dragged him out of the city. But as the disciples gathered around him, Paul would come back to himself. And remarkably, by the power and healing of God, the next day they would travel 47 miles to Derbe. That journey will probably take many more days, and they would finally reach Derbe. Verse 21, Luke tells us, they preached the gospel in Derbe, and won a large number of disciples to the faith, and to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The numbers is not given. Large means large. A large number of people came. In 2 Timothy 2, when Paul writes about the persecution that he endured in different cities, Iconium is mentioned, Lystra is mentioned, many cities are mentioned, but Derbe is not in the list of the cities that he mentions in 2 Timothy, which tells us to believe that Paul did not face any kind of persecution in Derbe, and a large number of disciples, probably both Jews and Gentiles, predominantly Gentile town, came to believe in the Lord.

And then, almost without much fanfare, Luke mentions something else that should really stir your hearts, and encourage you even this morning. It is this, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. The very places from which they were almost running away from, on their way back, they could have taken a different journey to make their way back to Syria and Antioch. But Luke tells us, they would actually return to the same place from which they had been kicked out, stoned, or threatened, they went back to the same place. Look at the courage of the apostles. After being in Derbe for a long time, and having a number of disciples, Paul and Barnabas would go back to Lystra. What is Lystra? The very place where he was stoned and left to die. You and I would avoid it like a plague, but the disciples would go back to that same place. Iconium, friendly place? No. Iconium was a place where they were threatened with death, and they had to leave it prematurely. They would go back to it. What about Antioch? Antioch, they were ordered to leave the place. So these places in which they would face subsequent higher degrees of persecution, one was, get out of this place. One was, we are going to kill you. Third, they tried to kill them. They actually physically put their hands on them. But on their way back, rather than being discouraged and fearful in their hearts, by the grace of God, with the power of the Holy Spirit, they would go back to those very same places again. Shows remarkable courage and strength on the part of the apostles.

Why did they do that? Because the work of the ministry, the work of the apostles, the work of the preacher is not just to preach the gospel, but what they do in verse 22, I would say is more important than even the initial preaching of the gospel, which is verse 22. What did they do? Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. It is well and good that they came to the Lord. And this is a place in which often churches and ministries fail miserably. It’s all about increasing the numbers. But the quality of the believers within the church, it should be of great importance to our hearts. It is good if your church has hundreds of people worshiping with you on a Sunday morning. And we always boast about, oh, our church has these many families, these many people. But the most important thing in the mind of God is not the number of people, but the quality of the people who are within his ranks. That is very important to the heart of God. Because it doesn’t matter if you are converted, growth is vital to further testify the fact that your conversion was real. In fact, when you study God’s word, this strengthening and this maturing in faith is really in the heart of everything that we do. You might ask the question, why is it necessary for you to come week after week to hear the preaching of God’s word? Why is it important that you go through 12 years of Sunday school? And even after that, you would sit in Malayalam Sunday school and adult English Sunday school and learn further the word of God. Because a Christian life is one of growth. A Christian life is one where no one stays in one point or not supposed to stay in one point. We are consistently called by God to have tremendous growth in our Christian life.

Look at Colossians 1:28-29, where Paul tells his very thing, the main aim of his ministry unto the people. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom. Why do we admonish people? Why do we teach people with all the wisdom that God gives to us? Here’s the reason why. So that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. As a pastor, as a teacher, as a preacher, evangelist, this is the primary goal for which God has called us into ministry. Present everyone mature in the Lord. The Lord does not want us to remain as babies. The Lord wants us to grow, spiritually grow, become people who are very steadfast and mature in our lives. Why? Because we don’t know what tomorrow holds. And it is important that upon the foundation of the gospel that is already laid, there’s other layers of maturity and growth that comes in the life of the believer. Apostle Paul would tell you, to this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. He’s basically saying, I’m not gonna spare any expense of energy when it comes to working towards bringing believers to maturity and growth in their life. The greatest pleasure, the greatest joy in the heart of any pastor or preacher evangelist is seeing maturity and growth among the people who have come to the Lord.

This is also a sign that you are truly in the Lord. If you are somebody who is remaining in your infancy without much growth, I would suggest to you that you want to analyze again, whether you are in the Lord to begin with. Look at John 8:31. Our Lord Himself gave the warning to the Jews who had believed him. Jesus said, if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. So what is the opposite of this? If you don’t hold on to my teaching, you are not really my disciples to begin with. Oftentimes, when we see this in the life of so many people who call themselves believers, no growth, no maturity, and the Lord would say to them, if you don’t hold on to my teaching and have some kind of growth in your life, you need to re-examine even your born-again experience to come into the presence of the Lord. And this kind of maturity and growth is so important because of the next word he would say to them. We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, they said. We must go through many hardships to enter into the kingdom of God. If you don’t have growth and maturity, times like these would make you question your faith. Times like these would make you wander away from the faith. That is why growth and maturity are very paramount and important in the life of the believer.

But this also goes against every kind of prosperity gospel that is preached out there. Look what the apostle Paul is saying here, and look what he’s not saying. Here he is there to strengthen them and encourage them in the faith. If it’s a pastor of today of 21st century, probably tell you, oh, serve the Lord, he will give you a lot of money, encouragement. Strengthen in the faith, come to the Lord, everything will be all right. That’s the kind of message that people give. But Paul has a different message, and I want you to look at this sentence very carefully. Look at the first two words that are there. We must, what does that mean? This is something that is given as a lot to every single believer. In fact, I wouldn’t make the argument that there’s not a single true believer in the world who do not face hardships in his life. You know why? We are not of this world. The moment you become a believer, you become a stranger and a pilgrim in this world. If you are sitting in this world or sitting in this congregation, very comfortable in this world, there is something wrong with your Christian life. We must, we must go through one hardship is plural in nature, many hardships in his life. And then he says, before we enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now, do not misunderstand this. Hardships are not a necessary requirement to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Our entry into the kingdom of heaven is because He suffered on the cross. He already suffered many hardships for us on the cross. That is what gives us to enter into the kingdom of heaven. But why do we go through hardships? We go through hardships because we don’t belong to earth, but because we belong to heaven. That’s why we go through hardships. We go through hardships because we stand against the things of this world. We speak against the things of this world. Our stance in this world is opposite to what the world wants us to do. And because of that, you will face hardships in your life. If you cheat, you will get a lot of money. If you take advantage of people, you will get higher up in the world. Even corporate world, you can advance a lot by stepping on the head of other people. But if you literally live your life by Christian principles, life on earth can be very difficult. If you don’t cheat on your taxes, it is very difficult to get ahead in the world sometimes. But a Christian does not cheat on his taxes. A Christian does not steal from other people. A Christian does not lie. A Christian does not take advantage of other people. And because of that, he faces many hardships, even from that. But not only that, if you are a true believer in the Lord, you will face not only physical hardship, even if you don’t face physical hardships, you will face isolation, loneliness, mental hardships, feeling of not belonging to certain things. You cannot go to every party, but if you go to every party, you will feel right alongside them. But if you don’t do it, you will feel the pressure of it. And that is why the Bible makes it very clear. We must face many hardships before we enter in the kingdom of heaven.

There are two words here. This is something that I have mentioned to you before when speaking about chapter 11, back in February, that is very important in Greek that we need to understand. One is this word, klepsis. The word that is used for hardships and tribulation in the original Greek. Literally talking about taking a grape and squeezing it. And what comes out of it? Grape juice. The Christians are being squeezed from every side because they are living in a land that is not their own. You take an olive, that is another example of it. And you press it hard against it. What comes out of it is olive oil. That pressing from each side that the believer faces because he is in the Lord. That is what tribulation is. Second word that is used is a word from Latin from which we get tribulation. Tribulum literally means an instrument that is having a sharp object on the outside that is used to separate the grain from the chaff. So when the believer goes through tribulation, when the believer goes through hardships, guess what do you find out? What he or she is truly made out of. If you press the grape, you won’t get olive oil out of it. If you press the olive, you won’t get grape juice out of it. Why? Only what you’re made of will come out when you’re pressed hard in the hardships of this world. As Martin Luther said, if you’re filled with hatred, when you face tribulation, what comes out of you? Hatred will come out of you. If you’re filled with love, when you’re pressed in tribulation, what comes out of it? Love will come out. If you’re filled with joy, when you’re pressed hard, what will come out of your life? Joy will come out. If you’re filled with all kinds of resentment and depression, when you’re pressed hard, what will come out? Further resentment and depression in your life. That is why even before you face hardships, your heart and your mind has to be prepared to face it. And here Paul tells them, we must face many hardships before we enter into the kingdom of God. I know this goes against almost every preaching and teaching out there, but this is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian life is not an easy one. The moment you become a believer does not mean that you become wealthy and famous and no one will have untimely death or sickness. None of these things are promised in God’s word. What you’re promised is that He’ll be with you. He will sustain you. He will help you. He will give you the strength that is needed for every hour in the midst of the fiery trials, in the midst of the valleys, in the midst of the mountains. You can count on God to sustain you, strengthen you, and give you the grace that is needed.

Look at Job 23:10. Job is crying out in the midst of the sufferings of his life. But I love that first sentence. He knows the way that I take. Do you believe this morning that no matter what hardship, suffering, troubles you’re going through, there’s a God who knows the way that you’re going through? That is the comforting thought for us. I am not on this hardship alone. I am not in this journey of suffering alone. I am not alone in the midst of the fiery furnace. If you look closely, you will see that He is the fourth man in the midst of the fiery furnace. He knows the way that I take. And He makes us go through that way because of what happens. When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Unless and until I go through the fire. Unless and until I am not pressed. Unless and until I am suffering. I will never become the person that God has called me to be. The path to holiness, the path to Christian maturity goes through the crucible of suffering, of fire, by testing by fire. But the good news is that at the end of it, you will come forth as gold. And let me tell you church, all the suffering in the world, all the hardship in the world are worth it. For the final result, you will come forth as gold. If you’re sitting here this morning and saying, I don’t want any suffering. I don’t want any hardships. You will also never become the gold that God wants you to be. All the impurities of life burn away when you are pressed hard and go through the hardships of life. We become more humble. We become more dependent upon God. We become people who pray more, read His word more. We often talk about it quite a bit. If life was always so good, we would not pray as much. All of you can admit to that. We pray, why? Because we are constantly reminded by the troubles and problems of our life, how much we’re dependent upon the Lord. If things were going all right in your life, hundred percent of the time, you will become proud in your heart. You will not pray as much. Your life will not become as dependent upon the Lord. The Lord knows that really well. And He is making you go through suffering, not because He hates you, because He loves you so much. And He wants the ultimate good for your life. That is to be conformed to the image of His Son. Remember the verse, God works all things together for good, to them who are called according to His purpose. What is that good? The previous words, to be conformed to the image of His Son. That is the ultimate good of your life. So God will crush us, press us, but He knows what He is doing.

If I were to ask Caleb, what is the best piano in the world? He would answer Steinway. I hope you do. At least it works for my illustration this morning. So it has been preferred by keyboard masters around the world. People all love to play on the Steinway piano. And here is the reason why. It is a skillfully crafted instrument that produces a phenomenal sound. Steinway pianos today are built the same way they were 140 years ago, when a man by the name of Henry Steinway started his business. 200 craftsmen, 12,000 parts are required to produce one of these instruments. 200 men, 12,000 parts make up the Steinway piano. Not only that, most crucial is the rim bending process, where 18 layers of maple are bent around an iron press to create the shape that is so unique to a Steinway grand piano. Five coats of lacquer applied and then hand rubbed to give the piano its outer glow. Not only that, then the instrument goes into a room called the pounder room, where each key is pounded 10,000 times to ensure quality and durability. One writer says this, followers of Jesus Christ, much like the grand Steinway are being handcrafted with all the steps being watched over and directed by our most high God. The one who is in sovereign control of every detail of this process often referred to as progressive sanctification. We are being pressed and formed and shaped for a divine purpose, that we might become conformed, not just in our inner side, but superficial conformity, but to the image of His Son. We are being polished, sometimes with what seems like excessive rubbing of affliction until we glow. Might be asked the question, why is it necessary to put five layers on top of it? Why is it necessary that you rub it that much? Because the manufacturer of the Steinway piano does not want to compromise on any quality of the finished product. If God sent His Son into this world and the blood of His Son is what saved you, He saved you for a purpose and God will not save any expense in making sure that the finished product that stands before Him one day is ultimately what He saved Him for. To that end, He will make you go through hardships. He will make you go through sufferings, not because He hates you, not because He doesn’t love you, but because He loves you more than you can imagine. He makes you go through suffering because He wants you to look more and more like His Son. And one day you will look just like Him. On this earth, we are all unfinished products. But one day we will stand before Him and every day is a test towards it.

After reminding them that they must enter into many hearts, enter into the kingdom of God, look at verse 23. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church. Every church, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and again in Pisidene, Antioch, Paul appointed elders, plural, multiple people to lead the church. The same way, by the grace of God, our church is set up. Look how they did it with prayer and fasting. Paul did not appoint one pastor. Paul did not just do it based upon popularity. Paul did not do it based upon who gave the most money. Paul did not do it based upon who had the most talent. He did it after much prayer and fasting. The way we are supposed to do it in the New Testament church as well. It is not based upon a popular opinion. It is not based upon how many people support you within the church. The elders are appointed after much prayer and fasting. If you go back to Acts 13:3, this missionary journey started with much prayer and fasting. Even as they go through these churches, string the disciples and finally the time for them to leave, they will appoint elders to lead these churches after much prayer and fasting. And look at the next verse, committing them to the Lord in whom they had put their trust. Paul and Barnabas is saying, we’re about to leave. We may never see them again, but we are now giving them into the hands of a capable God to lead them and to lead them forward. Our work on here is done, but God’s work is not done. Our ministry over in this church is done, but we are leaving with great confidence in our hearts. You know why? We are committing them, commending them, giving them into the hands of a capable God who can be trusted. The word that is used over here is you literally taking your money and depositing it in a bank. When you take your money and deposit in a bank, who you’re putting your trust in? First the bank and then the FDIC, insured up to at least $100,000. The bank fails, they will give you back up to $100,000. Beyond that, there’s no guarantee, by the way. So you are putting the money in this thinking, next day when I go there, the money will be there, but you’re putting your trust in the bank. Here, it is not a physical bank, it’s not a person. They’re commending the church into the hands of God and saying, God, this is your deposit now. You take care of it. And God is faithful to take care of His church.

Continuing on verse 24, 25. After going through Pisidia, Pisidia, Antioch, they came into Pamphylia, which is located 20 some miles to the south. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Atalia. Perga is a place that would become very famous later on. By the time fourth and fifth century church history, you read it, Constantine had made Christianity the official religion of Rome. Perga would become one of the most important places of Christian ministry. And all started with these apostles going and ministering and causing the first disciples to convert to Christianity. They would go down to Atalia, verse 26. From Atalia, they sailed back to Antioch. Which Antioch? The place where they had started from, Syrian Antioch. This sailing is a journey of almost three to four days on the rough seas, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work that they had now completed. Look at that. In your English language translation, this committed is the same word that is used in verse 23 as well. But in Greek, it is two different words. It is two different words. They sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God. This is literally handing over somebody to the power of God’s grace. What the word is you’re saying is that, when the church at Antioch send these missionaries out into missionary journey, they did not send them on their own. They handed them over to the power of God’s grace and said, wherever they go, the grace of God will sustain them, will give them the power and the help that is needed to finish their journey for the work that they had now completed. First missionary journey in the book of Acts, over. They traveled almost 1400 miles, 800 miles by land and 600 miles by sea. It’s estimated that the apostles were gone for a period of 18 to 24 months on their first missionary journey. They had been away from their friends and family and people known to them for that long. They went through so many places. They endured so many hardships, but in the midst of all of it, what sustained them was this, the grace of God to which they had been commended. So in the midst of all the success they had, God’s grace was there. In the midst of all the hardships they had, God’s grace was there. In the midst of all the teaching they did, God’s grace was there. In the midst of all the discipling they did, God’s grace was there. In the midst of all the appointing they did, God’s grace was there. They did not do any of these things on their own. It is the grace of God that send them. It is the grace of God that sustain them. It is the grace of God that brought them back home. Our life is exactly this. We start by the grace of God. We are sustained by the grace of God. And we finally reach our home and say, I am done with my work on earth only by the grace of God. They completed their work.

Verse 27, 28. The missionaries have a meeting to report to them what God had done. On arriving, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples. Can you imagine that prayer meeting? While they were recounting, they had no text messaging. They had no WhatsApp messages. They had no FaceTime. These believers had not had any contact with them for the last two plus years. They all would have gathered together eagerly to hear what God had done. And here, Paul and Barnabas would tell them, all the money that you spent is not for no avail. All the prayer that you prayed for the last two years was not wasted. Everything that you did, God multiplied it. Guess what? Not only Jews, Gentiles have come to the Lord. In all these places, churches have been born. The many people have come to the Lord. Oh, what grace and what power we see in the work of God. In our life, we need to remind ourselves of the tremendous grace that is always available to us in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too many of us, sometimes I myself, are like the story of the poor European family who saved for years to buy tickets to sail to America. Finally, they were able to collect, save enough money. And they were on the ship traveling from America, from England, all the way to America. Once at sea, they carefully rationed the cheese and bread they had brought for the journey. After three days, the boy complained to his father. I hate cheese sandwiches. If I don’t eat anything else before we get to America, I’m going to die. So giving the boy his last nickel, the father told him to go to the ship’s galley and buy an ice cream corn. When the boy returned a long time later with a wide smile, his worried dad asked, where were you? Oh, in the galley. I ate three ice cream corns. I even had a steak dinner. All that for a nickel? Oh no, the food is free. It comes with the ticket to America. Lot of us just went on a cruise. If you just stayed up on the sixth floor or the seventh floor or the eighth floor and never went up to the 11th floor, you will never see the wide buffet that was spread out for you. Many of you packed a little bit of chips, a little bit of apple, fruits on the way to Houston, and you carried that to the ship, snacks. And on the ship for the last five days, you are just eating crackers and chips and the fruits that you packed with you and never gone up to the 11th floor to see the buffet that was there at any time for you eat as much as you want. Lot of Christians are like this family. They don’t understand the riches of the grace of God that has been given to them in the Lord Jesus Christ. They’re still eating their little bit of crackers, little bit of chips from home, rather than going to the buffet of the heavenly Father and seeing the immense grace that has been spread out for every moment and every occasion and every need that we have in our life. If you go there, you will find out everything has already been paid for. The ticket, it comes with a meal, a meal of grace, grace that never runs out, grace that is sustaining, grace that is freely given, grace that is needed for every hour is already laid out for you. But you have to go, you have to take the steps, you have to take the elevator, you have to go to that room and you will see that the Father’s full giving has only begun. Every need, every hour, grace that is needed for every task that He calls to you, He gives to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, exactly what He did in the life of the apostles as well. The first missionary journey is over. We’ll go into Acts 15 and we will see how the apostle would serve, would resolve a major conflict that would come in the New Testament church. By the time you come to Acts 16, you will see that the vision of God will now expand to beyond the seas to a continent that they had never seen before, known as Europe. Oh, the work of God through His servants, trusting in the grace of God. May that same grace sustain you as well in the coming week. Let’s look to the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank you. Oh, thank you for your word that reminds us that it is through many hardships that we are to enter in the kingdom of heaven. So as Peter would tell us, do not act strange or surprised at the fiery trials that we are going through. Oh Lord, help us to believe that there’s a purpose behind every problem, that there’s behind every trial, there is a unseen hand of God that is at work. We pray, oh God, that we will fast and pray and trust in your wisdom as we make decisions within the life of the church. We pray, oh God, that your grace will constantly be our source of strength as we navigate what you have called us to do. Thank you for hearing our prayer. First in the name of the Lord Jesus that we pray, amen.