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2:35For from you comes the answer of all issues and matters of life. Father, we need forgiveness, you answered. We need justice, you answered. We need mercy, you answer. Father, we need salvation in big ways and in small ways. And so we look to you. We wait upon you. And Father, we rejoice in the promise that those who wait upon you will become strong. They will be strong because it is you who strengthens them. And so today, Father, we call upon you and we wait upon you. And we pray that you would be exalted here in our midst and in our lives this week and in the days ahead for your name's sake. Lord, it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Well, once again, good morning.

3:35Please turn in your Bibles to Galatians chapter 1. And then you can also turn in your Bibles to Acts 15. We'll be looking at both of them today. You know, one of the exciting things about life is being on mission. I love being about what the Lord has commissioned us to be about. It is exciting. It is surprising. It can be discouraging, but it can be very rewarding. Not long ago, we were on a mission trip in El Salvador, and it was a great event that had been planned. We had a marriage retreat. The seminary that we had been really instrumental in getting off the ground and going. And they were excited. So there's a coalition of churches and this seminary that are working in tandem and trying to attract more students and get the word out that we're there and all that kind of stuff. And so they did a marriage retreat. They planned a marriage retreat. And to their surprise, 80 couples signed up. This was big for them. And all the kids, all their kids also signed up. They booked this mountain venue, really on the side of a volcano. It was a very nice venue. It was well planned. It was the largest gathering for the seminary. And there was a lot of excitement for that day.

5:24What could possibly go wrong? Everything was going right. Well, let me tell you what happened with the mission team. People got sick. My translator got sick. And then as we arrived to the venue, the night before, a storm had hit and knocked out the power. And that's not just a temporary thing there. That could be out for a week or longer. So no power. But a bigger problem associated with no power was that there was no water because their water is, they capture the rainwater and then they need pumps to pump the water into the Toilets and all of that. So you get the idea. So no power, no water, hundreds of people, lots of kids.

6:10So some things could be going wrong. And yet, last I checked, God was the one who is in control of the weather. And yet, here we are. And yet, it's in those endeavors that God has promised to be present. He is present with such endeavors. Well, as we look at Galatians, I am reminded of this first missionary trip that was sent out from Antioch, how there were some very surprising things, some discouraging things that took place, and yet God was present with this endeavor. Galatians 1:1. Paul, an apostle, not sent from men nor through the agency of men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren who are with me. And now here's our text: to the churches of Galatia.

7:18To the churches of Galatia. So there's a team, and there is a letter written to the churches of Galatia. As we've gone through this, I know the word. In really part five of what is serving as an introduction to the book of Galatians. I think you'll appreciate, once we get into it, the truths that we are laying down and the background that we are laying down here in these introduction sermons. They play a big role in the gospel that's going to be proclaimed and defended.

8:00But as we're going through this, I have wanted you to look up and see the bigger picture: that it is God's sovereign grace that is behind the mission, the mission that goes to the ends of the earth. We've already looked that the mission is under Christ's authority. It's he who commissioned for the disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations. So the mission is under Christ's authority, but so are the missionaries. God raised up Paul.

8:32Time when he was born, the place he was born. God master over his upbringing and prepared him for the ministry, the work that he had for him. We also looked at the mission team. So not only the mission, but the missionaries and the mission team is under God's authority. He is bringing that together in his unique way, assembling a team for the work. That he has for them. And it involved a church. Church at Antioch. It involved Barnabas. It involved John Mark.

9:08But you can add to these that the mission trip itself is also orchestrated by Christ's authority under His sovereign grace. So the mission, the missionaries, the mission team, and the mission trip itself is all under by God's grace and under His grace. And so I want to spend some time looking at this this morning. The dynamics of this mission trip itself can be quite unpredictable, surprising, discouraging, but also very rewarding. Acts chapter 1, verse 8, Jesus says, You will be my witnesses in both Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. And as we step into Acts 13, Acts 13, verse 1, we realize that this is the beginning of that mission, that missionary journey that's going to the ends of the earth. And the rest of the book of Acts is about that gospel going into Gentile territory.

10:30It had already begun in chapter 8 with Philip and the Ethiopian. You see it again in chapter 10 with Peter and Cornelius, the gospel going to the nations. You also see it in chapter 11 with the successful ministry of these Greeks coming to Antioch. But in chapter 13 of Acts, we have an intentional effort by a church to send forth the gospel beyond its boundaries. Up until this time, the gospel had been advancing, but it had been the result of persecution. There's persecution, people were dispersed, and they communicated the gospel wherever they went. But here, in chapter 13 of Acts, you have the mission trip itself being commissioned by the church in obedience to the Lord and for his glory. The gospel going forth. This is what Jesus had in mind when the gospel was going to go into all the world to the remotest parts. And that's what begins in Acts 13.

11:38And the very first place they go is to Galatia. You see, before the mission trip ever even began, God had in mind how things would go. As it is today with any mission trip that's really sponsored by God, it's really he has in mind what's going to take, he has. In mind the work even before it goes. He has in mind the recipients of his grace. God has all authority and he is involved. I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9, 16, 9, the mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Boy, you see that true in missions. If you've ever been on the field, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Things can be very unpredictable. Man can plan his ways, but then it's God who's superintending. And in church life, whatever, we often plan our ways, but then it's God who directs the step. Look at Acts 13, 48 for just a second.

12:47When the Gentiles heard this, and these are the ones in the city in Antioch, when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. There was already an appointment made. God had the recipients of his grace in mind before the mission team even goes out. It's in God's mind.

13:21And so it's clear at the very beginning that God had this place called Galatia. In his mind. And it's clear as we keep reading that going to the region of Galatia was not the original plan of the missionaries. And so, what I want to do this morning, I'm going to look at the first 13 verses of Acts 13, and that's going to take us from the point, the departure point, on this first missionary journey from Antioch, and it's going to take us to the doorstep of Galatia. We're going to trace their steps all the way up going into Galatia to prepare us for the gospel that's going to be preached in Galatia, that will then prepare us for the gospel that's going to be defended in the book of Galatians. But first, I want to give you a little historical and geographical background for Galatia, and then we'll look at this journey.

14:29You know, this isn't the PowerPoint that I put it up about a little bit this morning, around 9 a.m. But let me, while we're getting there, the word Galatia comes from the word, the Greek word Celta. Celton. Celtic. It's the Celts. It's a people from, there we are. You can see the. The area there of the Celtic world. It's very expansive, and if you're looking at the Roman world, a slide that I showed later or earlier in the series, there was this is much of the Roman world or a large part of the Roman world. Well, it is culturally Celtic. And you have the people, the Gauls, and you have them coming out of Central Europe there, called modern France and Germany and into Spain. But you can see their expansion there. You can see the British Isles way up here. You can see France, Spain. You see Italy here. You can see all this is Celtic territory. The word Gallia is Latin for these Celtic people. The word Galatia, you see it over here, this little pocket over here where a bunch of these Celts came over and settled here in Galatia. That's Greek. So you have Latin, Gallia, you have Greek, Galatia, but it's all of this Celtic people.

16:20In fact, it was through these in these wars that Julius Caesar had with these Celtic. Tribes and peoples that he rose to fame and power, and he in con in conquering the Celts of Western Europe. And there's a, of course, a decisive battle there at Elesia in 5072. And here's a picture of the Celtic chieftain surrendering to Julius Caesar. But you have this region. So if we're thinking about this little region over here, let me go back just so you can see that region. Here's Galatia over here. Jerusalem is down to the south here. Antioch is right here. Here's the island of Cyprus. And here is the area of Galatia. That's where God has in mind that the gospel to go.

17:22But it's when you magnify that, there we are in the cities of Galatia during Paul's time. There's this area. There's Antioch in Pisidia, also known as Pisidian Antioch. That's what we'll read about. Pisidian Antioch. Remember, there's Antiochus, the Greek, had taken over so much of this area, so it's not surprising you have an Antioch over here in Syria, but you also have an Antioch called Antioch, Pisity. You have Antioch cities named all over the place. That's what happens when you get. Conquered by a guy named Antiochus.

18:04Then there's other cities, Iconium, Lystra, and Derby, that will show up in our text. But these are some of the cities of Galatia. Well, again, you see this expansive area. It was an area much like, we'd say, modern Yugoslavia, where the boundaries were constantly moving. The Celtic or the Romans were pushing in an eastward way, so you end up pushing a lot of the Celtic people into this area of Galatia. They had a capital there, which is now the capital of modern-day Turkey. They had a capital there, but they moved a little bit east. And so what's happening when Paul is referring to the Galatians, he is referring to this culturally Celtic pocket of people there in Asia Minor.

19:11Caesar described the Celts as fierce, hardy, impetuous, and fickle in their dealings with one another. But it's here the gospel seeds were planted in this culturally Celtic population that is then going to spread all over Europe. Now, by the time of Paul, they're speaking Greek, they're Roman, but they're still Celtic ancestry and practices. So it's just by observation that this was the people group that God had in mind. And keep in mind, God is the one who is guiding the mission team.

20:10The mission enterprise is in his mind. And so he saw, Jesus saw, this region as strategic for the advance of the gospel to the ends of the earth. And so I want to continue looking at this first mission, this mission of God's grace, inspired by God's grace, by looking at the first 13 verses. Like I said, that'll take us from the departure at Antioch all the way to the gateway into Galatia. And as we go, I want you to see three dynamics of a mission trip that is truly inspired by God. There's mission trips that come about in man's mind, but then there are those mission trips that come about in God's mind. Mind, and I want to walk through and see this mission trip. So, even our understanding of missions and how missions ought to proceed from our in our lives, that we can get some sort of a framework for understanding what how God does missions.

21:22So, three dynamics. First of all, I'll look at its point of origin, its point of origin. Look at chapter 13. Chapter 13. Let me just read the first few verses. Now, there were at Antioch in the church that was there. Acts 13:1. Now, there were at Antioch in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas and Simeon, who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Maninean, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul.

22:03While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. So, the first thing we can say about a mission trip of God's grace and its point of origin is that it began. In a healthy church, we looked at that last time. What is a healthy church? Well, a healthy church has a teaching ministry that is devoted to helping people remain true to the Lord.

22:42A teaching ministry devoted to helping people remain true to the Lord. Second, a healthy church is seen in the character of its people. It's there in Antioch that the disciples are first called Christians. A third characteristic of a healthy church is that it is concerned for the well-being of other churches. You see this in the offering taken up to Jerusalem. And the fourth characteristic of a healthy church is that it is concerned for the well-being of those who do not know Jesus, the well-being of those who do not know Jesus. And that is what is going to be part of and behind this expansive mission into the Galatian territory. So it began in a healthy church under the leadership of the church. It began in the healthy church under the leadership of the church. Look at Acts 13:1. Now, there were at Antioch in the church that was there prophets and teachers, Barnabas and Simeon, who is called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manian.

23:48Manane, some pronounce it. Manaean, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. So you have Barnabas, okay, we've met Barnabas. He's a representative. Representative of the Jerusalem church that was sent down there to check on the church at Antioch as this church was exploding and growing fiercely. There's a second leader, Simon Simeon, who is called Niger. Now, Niger is the Latin word for black. This man probably was a man of black or dark skin. Then you had number three, Lucius of Cyrene. He is from the African city of Cyrene. Then you have another character, Minaean, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch. Who's Herod the Tetrarch? Herod Antipas. He had been brought up with Herod Antipas. And the word brought up carries the idea of brought up as a foster brother. This leader seems to have been raised as a childhood companion of Herod Antipas, and now he is a leader in the church at Antioch. Probably a man of social standing, significance in that sense. Then you have Saul. That's your fifth one, Saul. He's the last, probably the last one added to the leadership team. But this is what the gospel had brought together at Antioch. This was a diverse leadership team.

25:30From very different ethnic backgrounds, Jew and Gentile, and social standings. So, those who say that the New Testament was a white man's construct to dominate women and minorities have no idea what the Bible is saying. This is Antioch. This is a very diverse church and diverse in its leadership. So, it's this mission trip at its origin. It began in a healthy church under the leadership of the church. And notice this: while they were ministering to the Lord, while they were ministering to the Lord, look back at verse 2. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Noticing what they're doing while they are ministering, while they're carrying out their duties.

26:37They were fasting. They were probably earnestly seeking God's guidance for ministry. Notice they were serving and seeking. You know, I think sometimes you've heard of hide and seek, hide and seek. Well, that's kind of what I think a lot of people do when they, well, I want to know what God has for me to do, so I'm going to go hide. Sometimes it's in the back of the back of the. A church, or sometimes it's away from church. I'm going to hide and seek. Well, what's happening here is they're serving and seeking. One of the best ways to find out what God's will for your life is to get involved in a local church, earnestly serve and seek the Lord while you're serving. And that's what happens here.

27:25And it's clear that it's the work to which God is calling them. The Holy Spirit is setting, it says, Set apart from me, Barnabas is solved to the work that I have. It's not a work that comes out of the mind of the church or Saul or Paul or Barnabas, but the work is clearly in God's mind. But notice another characteristic about the origin of this mission trip. It began in a healthy church under the leadership of the church while they were ministering to the Lord.

28:02And it is unanimous in agreement, much prayer, and public commission. So they were unanimous in agreement over the mission, fervent in prayer, and there was a public commission. Verse 3. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. And with that, the mission to the remotest parts of the world that Jesus. Jesus told his disciples, you will be my witnesses first in Jerusalem and then all of Judea and Samaria and then to the ends of the earth. It begins.

28:42And we have been touched by this effort because we here are the ends of the earth hearing the gospel. But you can't help but appreciate the joint activity between God and his people. Look at verse 4. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. So notice in verse 3, it's the church that sends them out. You see that? When they had fasted, they laid their hands on them and sent them out, sent them away. But here in verse 4, so being sent out by the Holy Spirit, do you see that God is the one at work? Though this is a mission by man, it is not a mission of man.

29:38It is a mission through man. God is at work, but he's using human agency. That's the gospel mission. God is the one at work, but he is using human agency as he carries out his work. And they go to Cyprus. We'll look at this on a map so you. Have up here Antioch, there we are, and they travel down to Seleucia, so by foot, they get down to the docks, and then they travel over to the island of Cyprus. Why Cyprus? Well, you remember back in chapter 4 and verse 36 of Acts, it's clear that Barnabas was born there. So Barnabas, one of the church leaders, has connections in Cyprus, has probably a burden for the island of Cyprus, his people. And so this is instrumental in where the ministry team is going to go. Again, you just see how God is, you see human agency, but you see divine agency at work.

30:46And so this God-inspired mission began in a healthy church under the leadership of the church while they were ministering to the Lord with unanimous agreement, fervent prayer, and public commission. And so we can say this about the first trip. Our first characteristic, first dynamic of this mission trip, its point of origin was a work of God's grace. Second dynamic is the degree of success also by God's grace. Let me read to you verses 5 through 12. When they reach.

31:30Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John Mark as their helper. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they find a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar Jesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elimas, the magician, for so his name is translated, was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him and said, You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time. And immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.

32:36So think about the normal routine for just a moment. They had, like most mission trips, there's a plan. They're going to go from Antioch, they're going to go float over to Salamis, and then they are going to go on foot over to Paphos. And they're going to, look at verse 12. 5 of Acts 13, when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John, Mark as their helper, John. Synagogues. Notice it's plural. There's many synagogues there, or several. What's a synagogue? It's basically a Jewish community center. And so this was their ministry plan. Think about Paul's credential. One of the most difficult things for a missionary is to get a hearing among the peoples. Well, Paul was a student of Gamaliel, remember? He would have been a very esteemed speaker. And as he shows up, it seems like God has already made provision for that. I loved what Machin says about this. He says, one of the most important problems for every missionary is the problem of gaining a hearing. But for Paul, the problem was solved. The debt which the Christian church owes to the Jewish synagogue is simply measureless. That was where the gospel, that's where, that was their plan. Go to the synagogues, preach the gospel.

34:15And so that was their routine. And so that's what they did. From Salamis across overland to Paphos, they were. But then something unexpected happened. So they had a normal routine. Most mission trips that are inspired by God do. There's a routine, a plan, but then there's an interruption to the plan. Something very unexpected happened at Paphos. Look at verse 6. They were unexpectedly summoned. When they got through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar Jesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

35:03So they were summoned. All of a sudden, they're going about their business, then they're summoned. They're summoned by the proconsul. Now, who's the proconsul? That's the equivalent of a governor, the governor of the island. This is the most important figure on the island, politically speaking. It'd be like the United States. It'd be like taking a mission trip. Maybe it's like, okay, we send a bunch of folks off to, you pick a state, any state. And all of a sudden, our team gets there. They start doing these backyard Bible clubs, and all of a sudden, they're summoned by the governor of the state. Well, that's basically what happens here. It's summoned. He's a man of great authority, but as Luke points out, he's a man also of intelligence. And he wanted to hear the word. He wanted a private hearing. So apparently, there has been. Success going on in the synagogues. Word is getting around that Paul's there. And so word reaches Sergius Paulus, and then there's this bar Jesus and some interaction with this that Paul had with this bar Jesus character, whatever the case, brings news to Sergius Paulus, and he goes, I want to hear the word of the Lord. And so he calls and summons these missionaries to a private hearing. But then it's clear they were publicly opposed. Not only were they unexpectedly summoned, but then they were opposed by this false teacher. Verse 8, his name is Elimas. He was opposing them, and he was seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. In other words, this Jewish magician is seeing what's taking place, and he doesn't want the proconsul to turn to the doctrine, the teaching, the gospel being proclaimed by Paul. But Paul, or Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixes his gaze upon him and said, You who are full of deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see for a time. And he Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. So, this opposition, it's clear that even though the devil meant it for evil, God meant it for good. God used this evil, deceptive person, an encounter for good. This encounter led to a very unexpected convert. And this is what happens on these, some things are unexpected, and this was very surprising. Look at verse 12: an unexpected convert. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

38:19The proconsul is taken by the teaching. The proconsul is converted to Christ. That'd be like I said, our sending your kids off on a mission trip, backyard Bible, all of a sudden getting an audience with the governor, and all of a sudden, leading the governor to Christ. That's what happens on the island of Cyprus. And Luke doesn't record any other details really about the whole trip except the conversion of Sergius Paulus. And this, it's clear that this conversion is significant to Luke because it Probably impacts the future direction of the missionary trip. Very significant. Significant. Here's a picture of Sergius Paulos. Raphael painted the picture. You see Paul, you see Paul over here, you see Sergius Paulus up here, the governor, proconsul, and you hear, here's Bargesus, Elimas, being led. you see that. But something significant is found, archaeological.

39:36An inscription discovered in Pisidian Antioch. And that's going to be on this journey of this mission trip. So just file that away. Pisidian Antioch. And here is, we were able to see this while we were there this past May. Sergius Paulus, it was an inscription found at Pisidian Antioch. He's a real historical figure. Just keep that in mind for just a moment. It's found at Pisidian Antioch. But it's clear that mission trips can be very surprising, unexpected.

40:18But you can see the degree of its success is in God's hands. This was the work that God had called them to do. They had no idea this was going to unfold. They just knew they needed to. Go where they believed God was leading them, and then God just seemed to start navigating the ship. There's a third element of mission efforts, mission trips. They can be very unpredictable. And those of you who have been on mission trips, even short-term mission trips, understand things can take on a very unpredictable path. And that's what happens.

40:58Two more unexpected events happen on this mission trip, and it impacts the future of the mission trip. Number one, look back at Acts 13, verse 13. Now, Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. So you get this. See this? They left Paphos, probably landed at a little port just west in modern-day Atalia, and then they made their way over to Perga. And that is where they end up, Perga, which at the time was in a district called Pamphylia. But John left them. John departed. That was not planned. And it's clear that it was not planned because in Acts chapter 15, when they're in verse 36, when they're thinking about God, Going again, it's clear that Paul sees John's defection as a failure. Because Barnabas wants to return and takes John Mark with him. Paul says, no, he deserted us at Perga at a time when he's not ready for this kind of trip. And the big question becomes, why did John Mark go back? So John Mark, once they get to Perga, he gets on a boat. Instead of going with them into the work into Galatia, he goes sailing back over here to Jerusalem, which is down about a little bit off the screen. So he goes back home. That's where he lives.

42:48But why? Why? That becomes a big question. Why did John Mark? And the answer is, we don't know. It's not certain. There's been several suggestions. One, the trip may have been too difficult. And that could be true. Maybe he wasn't ready for the rigors. But it's hard to believe that this accounts for the whole picture because number one, all that Luke recorded on the island of Cyprus was success. I mean, you just led the governor to Christ. Now, I would think that would excite you to continue to go on the mission trip, not cause you to depart.

43:31Another suggestion is that there was a change in the mission field destination. And I think this has merit to it. The idea was they were going to go minister to Jews in Africa. But now they're going, instead of moving to Jews, there's going to be an emphasis upon Gentiles, and there's going to be an emphasis, they're going to go into Galatia rather than Africa. And this is interesting to note that in, remember the second missionary journey, Barnabas is going to say, okay, let's go back to these churches and let's take John Mark with us. Paul says, no, we're not taking John Mark with us. And so it says in Acts 15:39, and there occurred such a sharp disagreement, this will be between Paul and Barnabas, that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. So where does Barnabas and Mark go? They go back to Cyprus. And there is, from Paphos, this would have been the last hub going to Africa. It was a regular, all-aboard ship from Paphos to Alexandria. And when you study... The history of the Coptic Church, this is the Orthodox church in Egypt, the Coptic church, they revere Mark, John Mark, as the one who brought Christianity to Egypt. And so it's suggested that what happened is that originally the thought was, now keep in mind, another elder, the church at Antioch, is named Lucius of Cyrene in Africa. So you can see they go through Cyprus, Barnabas has connections, all the way down, and we go to Africa where Lucius has connections. Very plausible that there is a change, and John Mark goes home.

45:50And it is also possible that what happened on the island of Cyprus with Sergius Paulus changed the direction. Now the governor has come to Christ, and you saw that inscription. That was found in Pisidian Antioch. So it's clear that Sergius Paulus, this governor, has in the imperial province of Galatia connections. And so some suggest that Paul went even carrying papers of recommendation from the governor to Pisidian. Antioch. But there's something that's clear that takes place. Look back at Acts 13:13 and notice this change. Now, Paul and his companions.

46:49It's no longer, up until this time, it's been Barnabas and Saul. There's a change that takes place at this verse. Paul and his companions. There's a change in emphasis. From here on, Paul is the main emphasis over Barnabas. Paul is the one who is going to be more famous, and he seems to take on the leadership role. So maybe Mark didn't like this change, whatever. Or some kind of mixture of all of the above. Something changes there. But then there's another unexpected event that happens that clearly directs this mission trip into Galatia, and it's clear they weren't planning on going there. Look at Galatians 4 for a second. I'm going to show you a verse. Galatians 4, verse 13. Galatians 4, verse 13. Here's Paul talking to the Galatians, and he says this, but you know, Galatians, verse 13, but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time.

48:18In other words, the reason I came to you for the first time was because of a bodily illness. That's something that was unpredicted. Verse 14, and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition, you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself. And look at what he says in verse 15. If possible, second part of it, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

48:57See what he's saying here is: Paul says, because of an illness I first came to you. That was unpredictable. What was the illness? Again, not certain. Some suggest malaria that he picked up. Others suggest it's the thorn in the flesh having a flare-up, whatever that thorn was. But it's clear in Galatians 4 that it is something in his body, may have something to do with it. To do with his eyes, certainly impacted his eyes. But whatever the case, it is the cause, in Paul's own words, why the gospel first made its way into Galatia. God, in his sovereign grace, had this recipient picked out, and though Paul and his companions were planning their way, going about their own plans and protocol, all of a sudden, boom, something changes.

50:00And they are in Galatia. And it's interesting, Paul heals others, but he cannot heal himself. So even this bodily illness, this loss of his flesh, and the use of his flesh, was part of God's providence to bring the gospel to the Galatians. And so as you step back, you see, it is God who is behind the who, behind the when, behind the where. And so Perga, see, Perga becomes this gateway into Galatia. Here's the region of Galatia and the first city, province, there, Pisidian, Antioch, the Imperial. We'll look at that next time. But just to give you a little bit of picture, y'all have asked me when I'm going to start showing. Pictures from when we were in this region. As you know, we last May, part of my family, we all went into this region. We traced the footsteps of Paul through this area. And this Perga is the gateway into the Galatians and into these churches, Pisidian Antioch, and then into Iconium, Lystra, and Derby. But you can see there was this waterfall area. We took a picture here. These waterfalls would have been flowing just very similar to this in Paul's day. It's called the Duden Waterfall, just west of the Magadas, where that would have been the port where I showed you in Atalia, where Paul would have landed and then made his way into Perga. And there we are.

51:48Here is the main entrance at Perga. These are ruins today. These big circular towers would have been there in Paul's day, and Paul would have walked right through those during his day. It is a very large city. A lot, I could say, fascinating place, archaeological. You come to the very western part of the city. There is a gate that leads to the Via Sebeste, which is the Roman road that most certainly Paul would have traveled to go into Pisidian Antioch, into Galatia. This would have been that gate that he walked through, same gate, same place. He would have walked through this on the road to Galatia. Here's a picture of some of us. There's Nancy in the middle, walking on one of these Roman roads. They're still there. These are the same Roman roads that Paul would have walked on. And they're all over that area. You can find them and you can walk on them, and they're there. And so, this is the gateway into Galatia.

53:04And so, just as we start thinking, we're going to jump into the message that Paul proclaims in Galatia in the weeks ahead. Next week, we'll start looking at the message, and then we'll be really ready to understand what is the gospel. What is the gospel that Paul proclaimed? And I am excited because we've got to get the gospel right. Galatians is that book that deals with the gospel, what it is, and Paul's defense of it. Make sure we get the gospel right. So, I hope you'll stay with us through this book.

53:49But we can say this about this mission trip that God orchestrated: three dynamics: its point of origin, the degree of its success, and its unpredictable. Path. That seems to be characteristic of the mission trips that truly God inspires. Let me take you quickly back in mind to El Salvador. Problem. No power, no translator, no bathrooms, lots of kids, hundreds of people. That was the problem. Completely unexpected. But then God, who promises to be with such ministry endeavors, provides a solution that none of us could have prepared for.

54:39Battery on my computer was sufficient to get through the power presentations, PowerPoint presentations. Laura Fernandez, I hope I don't embarrass you, was down there ministering at SHIP in El Salvador and happened to be there at that time and had then became and translated for us, helped translate with Nancy's part, if I got that right, correct. And so she was a big help there, and our trips coincided. So God had been planning that aspect, that ministry to bring. And then what was fascinating is that Gerardo, if you remember, he used to be an elder and used to translate my sermons here. He happened, just happened, completely uncoordinated with us, happened to be leading a ministry team from Founders Church down there that very same weekend, and he had just gotten there. And all of a sudden, I had my translator. And not only that, I had a, there was a whole ministry team that then took all of the kids and did this incredible children's program. That couldn't have been orchestrated. These things were going on before. There's no way we could have orchestrated that. Well, the good news about the rain is that it filled up their water collection system, so at least the staff was able to go through with buckets and do a bucket prograde so we could actually have toilets that could flush.

56:17The menu was cooked over grills, wood-fire grills. God blessed us with some pleasant weather and a very, very fruitful time of ministry. Think about your, if you had a ministry event, then all of a sudden you had no power, you had no water, and you had bunches, hundreds of people, and how would that go? Well, when we left, we had already received word of some of the fruitfulness of the ministry. But then even after we left, they were so excited about how things went. You can't attribute any of that to anything other than God stepping in and providing the solution. And there are hundreds and thousands of stories like that of God's provision in time. And so I encourage you all to be on mission, whether it's local mission. You'll see God's provision. You'll see unexpected things, things. You'll see surprises. You'll see discouragements, but you'll see God because He promises to be involved in such missions. But this, you can be sure, when God inspires a missionship, just like the one we saw, all of it is under His authority for His good purposes. And this is why it is an adventure and a joy to be part of mission efforts that God inspires. So I encourage you to be part of this mission enterprise. Go on a trip, but also get involved locally.

57:49Serve and seek what God has you to do next. Be part of this church and the ministry efforts going forward. Join us in God's mission enterprise. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the truth and just how you have not just commissioned a project and then left, but you really do and really are actively engaged and involved in such ministry efforts, no matter how small, no matter how large. Father, it is about obedience to your commission and what a joy and what a privilege it is to walk with you in ministry and mission beyond our boundaries. So, Father, we thank you for your faithfulness and your goodness. Help us, Father, turn to you with our full hearts. In Jesus' name, amen.