Planting, Strengthening, and Suffering: Acts 14

Sermon Idea: Kingdom work is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering. 

Introduction: Not everything that we will do, nor every ambition we may have, will be worth the cost it may entail. Words like ‘sacrifice’ and ‘suffering’ are not appropriate for every endeavor. 

The simple truth I want to show you this morning is that kingdom work is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering. There is an intimate connection between life in Christ and sharing in suffering as we serve Christ and his church. 

When Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, the Lord told Ananias, For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Ac 9:16)

In Acts 14, Paul suffers as he serves Christ by being stoned so badly that he nearly dies. When he speaks to the disciples who care for him in Lystra, he encourages them to continue in the faith by saying, through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Ac 14:22) 

It is no wonder then that this theme is all over Paul’s letters. 

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Ro 8:17)

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, (Php 1:29)

5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven (2 Th 1:5–7)

Whatever sacrifice must be made, whatever suffering is endured, is part of God’s plan for his people who have been promised the kingdom of God by his grace. 

It is hard for so many of us to relate to this because we have sacrificed so little and suffered for the gospel so infrequently. What we ought to reflect on, though, is just how worthy our sacrifice of time, convenience, money, and comfort is as we serve Christ in our local church. The ministry that God has given us in this place with these people is work worthy of our time, efforts, and sacrifices. 

Acts 14 continues the account of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. When we last left them, they were shaking the dust of their feet in Pisidia because they were being persecuted. Despite this, Acts 13:52 reads, “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

They now come into Iconium and Lystra, enduring more threats and suffering, but remaining steadfast in their service to the Lord. If we take one unit at a time, I think we can highlight the ministry of the Word, the glory of God, and the planning and strengthening of churches as kingdom work worthy of sacrifice and suffering. 

I.) The ministry of the Word is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering (Acts 14:1-7)

• Although Paul turns his primary attention to the Gentiles, he still preaches the gospel in the Jewish synagogue. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek (Romans 1:16)

• Belief is what happens initially; a great number of both Jews and Gentiles believed. This is what we want to see happen. It is what ministry is about: sinners coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. 

• Ministry is never all success. It is a mixture of success and sorrow, fruit and even failure. Not long after, many are converted, the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles begin to work against their efforts. 

• As the Lord has done in this early and unique period of church history, signs and miracles are given to confirm the gospel message. It’s as if Jesus testifies to his own gospel, “…who bore witness to the word of his grace.”

• Even as they enter faithful ministry, they are not immune to persecution and opposition (vs. 5) 

• Even still, they continue to preach the gospel. 

II.) The glory of God is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering (Acts 14:8-18)

• Like Jesus and Peter before him, Paul heals a crippled man. 
• Paul and Barnabas are mistaken and gods (Zeus and Hermes) are exposing their idolatrous hearts and worship of idols. They go so far as to try to sacrifice both to them.
• Paul and Barnabas’ response is to grieve the idolatry of these people because they love the glory of God. These people are trapped in the worship of vain idols, so they are failing to worship the one true and living God. 
• In his classic book on missions, Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper argues that missions exist because worship does not. 

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship does not. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”

• Paul explains that the one true and living God has been revealed generally by his goodness and provision. This is called general revelation. It is a revelation of God that is sufficient to leave us without an excuse, but not sufficient to save us. For that, we need special revelation given to us in Jesus Christ and the Word of God— the gospel. 

• The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. (Ps 19:1–2)

• 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Ro 1:19–20)
• We are told that many who are listening to Paul are not persuaded and still seek to sacrifice to them. This is the challenge of ministry. Even our best efforts do not always yield the results we hope for. That said, the Lord seems to have done something during Paul’s time there, as disciples from Lystra are referenced in Acts 14:20, and Timothy is identified as a disciple from Lystra. God is always doing more than we realize in the moment.

III.) The planting and strengthening of churches is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering (Acts 14:19-28) 

• The first threat of stoning Paul was avoided. He now suffered a stoning so severe that he nearly died, “…they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.”
• It is remarkable, considering what Paul endured, that what he gives his attention to is not himself, but the health and well-being of these churches.  
• Disciplemaking, strengthening their souls, and encouraging them to continue in the faith: through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
• One of the key ways Paul strengthened these churches was by appointing elders. How important is the plurality of elders for healthy local churches? Very important. Given all that Paul has gone through it wouldn’t devote himself to trivial or nonessential things. The structure and governance of the local church are of vital importance to the church’s health. 
• Additional biblical support for the plurality of elders: 

When Paul addresses the church in Ephesus in Acts 20, he addresses the elders specifically:¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. (Ac 20:17) 

Here we see a plurality of pastoral leadership, “elders,” in one church: the church in Ephesus. 

When Paul writes to the church in Philippi, he addresses the saints and their leadership: overseers and deacons. To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons (Php 1:1) 

Remember, overseer is a synonym for elder and pastor. Here, we see a plurality of pastoral leadership, or “overseers,” in one church: the church in Philippi. 

The language of “overseer” may be unfamiliar to you, but it is merely a synonym for elder and pastor. In contemporary church practice, the word “pastor” has become the predominant title for church leaders who teach the Word of God and shepherd the church. In the New Testament, the predominant language for that office is “overseer” or “elder.” A simple survey of a few passages will show how these titles are used interchangeably.

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. (Ac 20:17) ….²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Ac 20:28)

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— ⁶ if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. ⁷ For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. (Tt 1:5–7)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight(1 Pe 5:1–2)

What these verses make clear is that there is no distinction between the office of overseer and elder. They have the same qualifications, they perform the same functions, and possess the same authority. These are merely two different ways of describing one office in the church.

When Paul is instructing Titus about his ministry in Crete, he tells him to appoint elders in every town, ⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— (Tt 1:5)

James encourages the congregation to call upon the elders (plural) in the church (singular) to pray when sick,¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (Jas 5:14)

What is clear from these passages is that the role of shepherding the church is too heavy and too important to be reserved for a single individual. The ministry of shepherding the congregation is to be a shared ministry between a plurality of qualified men who serve as elders in the local church. 

Although the Bible teaches that a plurality of elders with equal authority should lead the church, we can also recognize that those elders will have a variety of gifts and will serve the church in different ways. Paul recognizes this in 1 Timothy 5. 

¹⁷ Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (1 Ti 5:17) 

• The pursuit of church health, of persuading a congregation to be great, aligned with Scripture, is a challenging but worthy task.  It is worth the sacrifice and suffering, the opposition, and the long teaching that is required.
• After returning to Antioch, they gather the church to report on what God has done through their efforts. A few passages give a clearer picture of the centrality of the local church in missions. They were sent out and thus accountable to those saints. In turn, they were part of all of Paul and Barnabas’ labors. 

Kingdom work is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering. 

What we see in Acts 14 is work that has eternal value. It is Kingdom work through which God builds the church of the Lord Jesus. To see sinners saved, disciples made, churches planted, and strengthened is what ministry is all about. This is what we are to prioritize and joyfully so, even though it will require sacrifice and invite suffering. 

Kingdom work is worthy of our sacrifice and suffering.