You can turn then with me, if you have your Bibles, to our sermon text for today, which is also found in the sermon insert in your bulletin. We return to the Acts of the Apostles. Last week, we had stepped away to Galatians for a sermon, but we return now to Acts chapter 14, verses 19 through 28. This is right after Paul and Barnabas were almost worshipped as gods in the city of Lystra, or Lystra, however you pronounce that, town in Asia Minor in the province of Galatia. They thought they were Zeus and Hermes, but Paul and Barnabas were zealous, jealous for the honor of the true God. Don't worship us. We've come here to turn you to the true God. Well, this picks up right after that, starting in verse 19. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Atalia. And from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they gathered, when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples." This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray for God's blessing upon His word. Oh Lord, our God, we give thanks to you for opening a door of faith to us, that we might walk in, that we might know you. We ask that you would bless your word today to teach and instruct us, to strengthen us indeed, to strengthen our souls. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. This passage tells of how Paul and Barnabas concluded that journey that they had been sent on. The church in Antioch, Syrian Antioch, had sent them out. They had gone to Cyprus, and then to Galatia, and had returned now, at the end of this passage, to that original Antioch. Again, there's another Antioch that they went on their trip, so that's why I distinguished the two. But this tells of how they returned. And it tells of their return trip, that they go back through all the cities where they had been through, at least the ones in Galatia, to strengthen the disciples that had been made. One lesson of this passage is the strengthening of the disciples. Not only did they make disciples, but they strengthened the souls of the disciples. And they made arrangements for their continued strengthening, that they would continue to be strengthened and to persevere. Another lesson of this passage is that it is the Lord who gathers, preserves, and strengthens His church through this ministry. God is at work in His church to make disciples and to strengthen their souls. When Paul and Barnabas encouraged the disciples and appointed elders for them, They then also commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. It would be the Lord who would guard his church, who would build his church, who would preserve his saints. Notice how the passage ends. Paul and Barnabas, quote, declared all that they had done. Is that what it says? No, no. Declared all that God had done with them and how he, that is God, had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. God had done this work, opening a door of faith to the Gentiles and strengthening the disciples in the fellowship of the Church. So you should also hear this message continue steadfastly in the faith, looking to the Lord in whom you have believed. As we'll look at this passage, we'll see that you should look to examples of suffering and endurance for Christ. Heed the exhortation to continue in the faith. Use the ordinances and ministries Christ has appointed in His church, for it is God who makes and strengthens His disciples by these means. So first, look to the examples of perseverance, of suffering. And we, in particular, come to the example of the Apostle Paul. When Paul later says, through many tribulations you have to enter the kingdom of God, they would have known what he was talking about. He had been kicked out of one town, kicked out of the other town, finally stoned and they thought they had killed him. Paul was tested in the city of Lystra in particular. First he was tested by flattery, by being treated as a god. Then he was tested by persecution, by being treated as a criminal. First the people tried to worship him, then his enemies caught up to him and nearly killed him. but he passed the test both ways. He earnestly rejected the attempts to worship him. Again, remember, they ran out. They pleaded. They didn't just merely check off the box, but they were earnest about turning this worship away from them unto the true God. But also, he refused to give up despite persecution. He didn't try to compromise to escape that hostility. And he didn't stop his ministry. He got back up, went back into the city. The next morning, what's he doing? Or the next day at least, he's headed on to the next town to preach to the next city. Now, Lystra is important too because Timothy lived in Lystra. Timothy's not mentioned yet, but on the next trip, Paul will pick him up from the city. likely became a Christian or a believer in Jesus as the Christ on this trip. As a teenager, he was probably one of those disciples who gathered around Paul. least he would have been in that city. And at the end of Paul's life, he reminded Timothy of these very events, saying in 2 Timothy 3 to Timothy, you, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, which persecutions I endured, yet from them all the Lord rescued me. He probably, he did suffer persecutions in more cities than those three. Why does he bring those up? They would have been especially relevant to Timothy, who lived in Lystra, who lived in that area, who had perhaps even seen Paul being brought back into the town, walking back after having, as he describes them, the marks of Jesus on his body, being suffering for his sake, stoned by his enemies. The stoning was meant to kill. They thought he had died. He had been dragged out of the city as a dead man. And yet, they only had supposed he was dead. He wasn't actually dead. And he was able to rise again after the disciples. Notice there were disciples in Lystra. We don't really hear about when they came to faith, but we know that the whole them being treated as gods was only one event that took place as they preached the gospel. There were those who responded to the gospel and to embrace that. Timothy, of course, knowing the scriptures from a young age, being taught by a believing mother and grandmother, but now knowing that the Christ has come and his name is Jesus. And these disciples accompanying Paul. Those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted one way or another. That's what Paul goes on to say in 2 Timothy. You too will need to follow Paul's faith, patience, love, steadfastness, endurance. Follow his example. The race that you run and will yet run has been ran before. The Lord rescued Paul from all his trials and he will rescue all his saints from every evil deed and bring you into his heavenly kingdom. Not only did the Lord rescue him from danger so that he would be able to fulfill his calling, the work God had for him, but the Lord also rescued him from the temptations that these trials brought, the temptations to give up or to give in. Certainly at one point then at the end, Paul was executed. But he was delivered, even unto glory. He had run the race. He had kept the faith. He had not given in. The Lord had preserved him. You may be pressed beyond your strength, even as Paul says he was, but this is so that you might rely upon the strength of the Lord, His power being made perfect in weakness. This is how Paul presented the gospel to those peoples as one who was himself suffering. This is what you're signing up for. And provided for them an example of the endurance they would need because they're the ones still living with these people in these cities. Christians of Galatia would need endurance, but they would also have this vivid example of endurance set before their eyes by the very one who had preached the Word of God to them. And so do you. You might not have seen it. We have it here in the Word. You have the example of Paul, and not only Paul, but all the saints in the Old Testament, as recounted in Hebrews 11, but also since the times of the New Testament, who have walked the same path Remember those who have spoken the word of God and have set a good example. Heed their biblical teachings. Make use of their work. Find encouragement from their lives that they too were sustained by the grace of God despite their failings. Imitate their virtues, their faith, and their endurance. Give thanks to God for His grace that has manifested in their lives. As you read the stories of Christians of long ago, or even in recent days, or even people older than you that are still living, that you can look to as examples of those who have done this before and have seen God's grace at work. And serve the Lord with the saints of old. They worship Him now in heaven. We worship the same God here on earth. They in the church triumphant, we in the church militant, but united in one communion, worshiping the same God and Savior. And so heed the examples of men like the Apostle Paul, of men, women, and children, those who have believed in the Lord and have been kept by him, who have run the race, even as you now run it, and may encounter difficulties. You think you've encountered difficulties? You've been stoned and left for dead yet? Probably not most of us. You have not yet resisted to the point of blood? But press on forward. It helps if you turn away from your sins so they don't trip you up. As Hebrews says, run the race, get ready, gird your loins, we have a race to run. And that's the exhortation, that's really the second point. Heed the exhortation to continue in the faith. Heed the example, listen to the word. Paul and Barnabas had a ministry not only of making disciples, which they do that too, they do that in the city of Derby. But then they return back. They don't keep on going through Paul's hometown of Tarsus. They go back the way they came to strengthen those disciples, to put things in order, to exhort them. This is something you find throughout Acts. Not only do they gather the disciples, but they encourage, you must continue. You must stay. Persevere. Evangelism wasn't the only thing. They also sought to build up the disciples so that they might persevere. Christ said, not only make disciples, but teach them to observe everything that I have commanded you. That will keep you busy your whole life. You don't graduate from this school until you are made perfect in glory at death. So you too need this ministry. You have need of endurance. You have a race to run. You are not yet perfected. You have need of endurance, as Hebrews says. You need to continue in the faith. They were strengthening the souls of the disciples. You are disciples too, and your souls need to be fortified. Are they resolved? Are they strong or weak? Listen to the exhortations of the gospel, the words of Christ to encourage you. You have need of strength. They were encouraging the disciples to continue in the faith. That same word for abide. You know, we say abide in Christ. Abide in the faith. Stay there. Don't leave. Remain in the faith. Paul would say much the same in Colossians. He says, you once were alienated, now you've been brought to God and Christ will bring you spotless to Him if It's a condition if you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. You must continue believing, having once believed. Hold fast to Christ. He is your hope. Do not forsake the hope of steadfast love as those do who turn to other gods or who abandon the Lord Jesus. It says both a doctrinal and volitional aspect. What do I mean by that? It means, first of all, hold fast to the faith. Hold fast to the truth of God's word, to the promises of the gospel. Hold fast to the message that the apostles proclaimed. The content is important. It's not an exhortation to simply have faith in anything, but in the faith. The faith refers to what is believed, even as we speak of faith as the thing that believes. Hold fast to the faith. Continue in the doctrine. These same Christians would get a letter later on in Galatians, I fear you're turning to another gospel. Right? And Paul agonized and exhorted with them, don't turn away. Continue to hold fast to Christ. You need to maintain the doctrine that is good and accords with godliness and gives saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Don't turn away to false doctrine, to a false gospel to a false way. But it also has the aspect of keep believing it. Not only believe the faith, but then keep believing. Continue to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust in Him. It's not something you just do once and then you never have to do it again. Continue in the faith. Saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God, You must enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations. In one sense, you enter the kingdom of God as soon as you believe in Christ. As Jesus said, it's a door. In one sense, it's a door. You enter through it, and you're there. But in another sense, it's a long path, a difficult path, a narrow path. It's also the kingdom in its fullness and its glory that we enter, that we're on our way to. And in that sense, there are many tribulations on the way. And so endure that tribulation with steadiness. looking to the goal, the end of the road, looking to the Lord Jesus and the hope we have, the confident expectation of good that awaits us. Our reward is our inheritance freely given to us by God's grace. There is light at the end of the tunnel. This path might be difficult, but it leads to everlasting life and glory. It is the kingdom of God, not the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is the new heavens and the new earth, ultimately, that are brought in at the coming of Christ, where righteousness dwells. That is where this path leads. So stay on the path. Even though there might be thistles and briars and difficulties that get in your way, climb over them. Keep on pressing forward. Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. Take heaven by storm. As Jesus says, we must take the kingdom of heaven by violence. We press on forward through tribulations by faith. The way to glory is not a merry-go-round. You just stay on the horse and it goes up and down. You don't do anything. And you go in circles. That's not the Christian life. It is rough riding on a narrow and difficult road. But if you continue in the faith, your hope is sure. By faith we receive Christ, and in Christ we're invincible. You will make it. By faith in the gospel, we receive the grace of God, who will preserve us to the end. And by faith in the gospel, we endure and press forward, looking to the inheritance as our reward. Faith both receives that grace of God, and He will bring that work then to completion. He Himself gives the faith and sustains the faith that we exercise. And by that faith, we decide to act, as Hebrews will say. All these saints of old, Abraham, Moses, they endured by faith. Abraham decided to go out to a foreign country by faith, because he trusted God. By the exercise of a lively faith in Christ, we actually grow stronger in trials, not weaker. Trials can weaken a person, but if one has lively faith in Christ and uses them rightly, these trials actually make you more steady, stronger, more able to endure. And so continue in the faith, press through tribulations to the kingdom of God. It is all by grace. God does this work. He completes the work. But on your part, there is an exhortation to exercise this faith and to continue in it and to persevere to the end. And God has given us ordinances and ministries, means of grace. Use the ordinances and the ministries that God has appointed in his church. that you might be strengthened. That's the third point here. Use them. Paul and Barnabas left the churches in order with elders, commended with prayer and fasting, as we see in verse 23. The apostles were departing. They left behind elders, therefore, who would continue the ministry of the word and shepherding to continue to make and strengthen the disciples. Now notice, each church had multiple elders. It's not one elder in one church. In each church, they appointed elders. Plural. The church, both at the local level, and later we'll see in the regional level too, is governed by a plurality of elders. Councils of elders. When Timothy was ordained, it was by a council of elders, for example. The Greek word for elder is Presbyteros. That's where we get our word Presbyterian. We got our name as Presbyterian back in the days when the main divisions among English-speaking churches was over church government. Those were the good days, right? When we agreed on a lot more, perhaps, than people do now in the English-speaking world. But the main differences were congregationalist governed by the membership of the congregation, each church independent. On the other hand was Episcopal church government, where the churches were connected, but by a hierarchy of one person over this, and one person over a bunch of people, and one person over this group of churches. But the Presbyterian system is you have the church at a local level, regional level, broader levels, governed by councils of elders. We use our own terminology for it, local church as a session, regional church as a presbytery, maybe a national church or broader church as a general assembly. Of course, in history, there's been ecumenical councils as well. But this is the way the church is governed. They appointed elders in every church. The government of the church consists in three things, doctrine, discipline, and distribution. with doctrine is annexed to the sacraments because they are visible word. Doctrine here referring to the ministry of teaching and preaching. By appointing elders in every church, doctrine, discipline, and distribution would be established. In time, deacons would also be ordained for the ministry of distribution as they had done in Jerusalem in Acts 6. And among the elders, some, so all would have the ministry of discipline and shepherding. All the elders would exercise oversight to keep watch over the flock. And only some of them would be called to the ministry of word and doctrine, as we see in 1 Timothy 5.17. Of the elders, some were well, and some of the elders labor in word and doctrine. Some were called to be preachers, to preach and teach in the church. This is the way our form of government puts it, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Quote, the ordinary and perpetual offices in the church are those given for the ministry of the word of God, of rule, and of mercy. Those who share in the rule of the church may be called elders, presbyters, bishops, or church governors. Those who minister in mercy and service are called deacons. Those elders who have been endued and called of Christ to labor also in the word and teaching are called ministers. That is ministers of the word. And so the government of the church, it's a public and official ministry to oversee and foster the church was established as Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church. Now, how were the elders placed into their office? It says that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in every church. Now, there's a lot of debate and a lot under the surface with that word appointed. The Greek word actually often referred to appointment by an election. in secular terms even, in civil offices. It was appointment by an election. And so we should probably be recalled by this word to the process that we saw in more detail in Act 6 with respect to deacons. There the church officers laid down qualifications, oversaw an election by the church members, who then selected men for that office, and then those church officers ordained these new men for that position. And that's probably what Paul and Barnabas then were doing in these cases to raise up elders for these churches. Both the call of the people of Christ and the approval of the officers played a role in the ordination of new officers by already existing elders. Now, appointing elders for every church was part of putting the church into order to complete the organization of the church. In one sense, these churches already existed. The visible church are those who profess the true religion and of their children, and you already had that, but it was not yet put into order. It was not yet completely organized as the way Paul put it in Timothy. 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. So the visible church is composed of those who profess the true religion and of their children. And scripture teaches that these members ought to be organized into churches, each of them under the oversight of elders. That implies you know who are members of your particular church. Christians ought to know what church they belong to and who their elders are. And elders ought to know who they are responsible for. So that's why we have a membership role. People transfer from one church to another, write a letter, so we know who's responsible for these people. We have elders over churches, which are composed of people, Christians. As Hebrews 13, 17 says, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. It is for your advantage that these things have been appointed, for your service, for your strengthening. It's good for sheep to have their shepherds in their sheepfolds and not be left to wander on their own. We have tribulations to get through, right? We have difficulties, misleading ideas, winds of doctrines. We need to be established. So seek it, prize it, use it. Use the ministry of the Word, shepherding, that your souls may be strengthened, continuing and growing in the faith. May the church be blessed with teaching and ruling elders and deacons to serve it. One of the dying prayers of John Knox as he was on his bed dying was, Lord, grant true pastors to thy church that purity of doctrine may be retained. May that be our prayers as well, not only on our deathbeds. It's essential to the church's well-being. May both the membership and the leadership of the church work towards raising up future leaders for the church and pray for them. And indeed prayer is what Paul and Barnabas did as they left. They commended the churches to the Lord in whom they had believed. They would not be there, they would be going. but they knew who did protect the church. And you too should look to the Lord to protect his church. The church can be a mess at times. The church can be like a ship that looks like it's about to flounder. But who did the disciples called for when they were in a boat and the storms were coming? Master, save us. We commend the church to the Lord in whom we have believed. He uses the ministry of men, but none of us have the power to keep his church. Our lifetimes are short in the grand scheme of things. Christ builds his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And that's the theme of the last point here. It is God who makes and strengthens the disciples by these means. They returned to Syria and Antioch, Paul and Barnabas did. They reported on it, but they didn't say, this is what we did. Right? This is what we accomplished. I said, this is what God did with us. We were like tools being wielded by Him. And this is what happened. This is what He did with us. He opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. Notice the church of Antioch had done with Paul and Barnabas just what they did with the churches of Galatia, commended them to the grace of God. As they had sent Paul and Barnabas off, the church in Antioch wouldn't have been able to be there to oversee this whole thing. They commended them to the grace of God and the grace of God had indeed blessed them. Now they returned and they declared this is what God has done. And this is what God still does. He wields people for his purposes. He uses his word to preach his gospel. He uses his people and his word to preach his gospel, to bring people to faith in Christ, to overcome magicians and false teachers and all the opposition that they encountered on this trip, to strengthen the souls of the disciples, and so to God be all the glory. As we see the church move forward, God opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. God opened a door of faith to the Gentiles both by the external preaching of the gospel and by the inner call of the Holy Spirit. What they said When they said God opened a door of faith to the Gentiles, they're not simply saying that he had commissioned them to preach the Gentiles. They already knew that. They had already been doing that in Antioch. What did he mean by they opened a door of faith to the Gentiles? Not simply that the gospel was proclaimed, but that the Gentiles actually came to faith. Faith is the door, and it was opened to the Gentiles by God, working through his word and spirit. Even as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. So God draws in His saints. He perfects His saints. He makes His means effectual to these ends. He's given us a commission, a mission to disciple the nations by word and sacrament in the fellowship of the saints. And He is with us to the end of the age to make these things effectual. It is not a vain task that you have been given, that we all together have been given. and be encouraged by this truth that God is building his church, extending the kingdom of his beloved son, gathering and perfecting his saints. So give thanks to God. So having been called by the Lord to the Lord by the gospel, remember that you have need of strength and endurance. Fortify yourself Use the means that God has appointed to you. If you were about to run a race, would you fast the week beforehand? No, you would prepare. You would want to strengthen yourself. We have a race to run. Fortify your soul. Trusting in the Lord to supply. He gathers. He strengthens. Look to the examples of suffering and endurance by God's grace that has been set before you. Heed the exhortations of God's word to continue in the faith. Use the ordinances that he has appointed of words, sacraments and prayers and ministries in Christ's church. Looking to God who makes and strengthens believers by these means. And we might give him glory. Join with me in prayer. O Lord our God, we give thanks to you for your grace in bringing us, who are sinners, to opening our eyes to come to you. We ask that you would work in each one of us to both grant us faith in Christ and perseverance in that faith, that you might begin a work and continue the work once begun and bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask that you would show us the favor that you show to your people that we might walk in the ways of Christ and of those who have followed him before, through many tribulations, entering the kingdom of God. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.