Here now the word of the Lord, as we find it in the Acts of the Apostles in the 12th chapter and reading from the 25th verse. When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. In the church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manian, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrake and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart from the Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Solution and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. Amen. May God bless His Word to our understanding. Let's pray together. Our Father, as we stand at the beginning of a new year, we cover your presence, we seek your blessing and the light of your Word by your Spirit's ministry to our souls, grant that we shall ever dwell secured as we dwell in Christ and in His way to walk in it and live as to your glory and your praise, for we seek it in His name. Amen. As we begin a new year, we begin by focusing our attention upon the book of the Acts of the Apostles and specifically upon the first missionary journey that is undertaken by this fledgling church. For as we stand on an epiphanies, and they reminded that this is the day in which we see Najai bring their gifts to Christ, the day in which we recognize the engrafting of the Gentile worlds into the covenant promises of God. So we see the church taking seriously the call of the gospel that it might break forth from bonds that would hold it simply as a part of a Jewish sect that each shall become the agency of God's reaching the world as the gospel formed in the people of God. We enable them to be witnesses of the Lord and the church to grow. As we come to this passage of scripture this morning, each of us assembled in this congregation is reminded afresh that the purpose of God in history is to be found in the creation of His church. It is His secret, it is the kingdom growing, it is the blessing of God in midst the uncertainty, the changeableness of human history, it is the founding of the people in which He will be glorified and through which He will be praised. And this morning we give thanks for the book of the acts of the apostles for it brings to us instruction both in the way of growth and also the recognition that it was through fallible, frail, often fractured men and women that God in the mystery of His grace grew His church. And it comes to us with the message of hope in a new year as the Lord has brought us together to be His people. Dr. Lloyd Jones wrote to his hearers, live in this book because it is the greatest tonic in the realm of the spirit. If you are discouraged, come here, come to this story and see afresh the blessing of God as when He presences Himself with His people He pours into them freshness of life. And it reminds us that God uses men and women that He shall build His kingdom. Book of Acts is a remarkable document, brutally honest recording not only triumph and blessing, but hypocrisy, immorality and heresy. Reminding us that we live amidst a real world facing real challenges and knowing the presence of a real God whose spirit in our midst transforms even weak men and women into being His agents. And He uses us, Lord, though we are, to build His kingdom. As we come to these verses that mark for us setting apart of Saul and Barnabas to the work of spreading the gospel, we come to verses that teach us about the way in which God prepares His people and brings to them His word. God speaks to individuals, to a community of faith, and each of us gathers in the sanctuary this morning in order that we shall not only worship the Lord but hear Him. It's the reason that we'll listen to His word preached that God might speak to us, and here we are told how God speaks. No question of Him not speaking. Often times it's because we don't listen. We don't listen properly but we don't hear, understand or find that He speaks with clarity to our soul. In this story, God reveals the means by which He speaks to His people. It's all of Tarsus Barnabas with Him traveling back from Jerusalem where they've conveyed gifts to that church facing so much privation, returned to the city of Antioch. And in their hearts God's spirit has been working, but now we see how God is preparing to speak, to speak to His people, and He begins by speaking to them through His providence. And it's important for us to recognize this, that God speaks to us through the arranging and orchestrating of our days and the events of life that come to us. For here there was no accident about the way in which the Church of Christ was commissioned, Saul who has to become Paul and Barnabas, belong to the Church of Antioch, a unique group of people. And as here its leaders are enumerated and their nameset before us, we're given to understand something of the diversity of this early community of Christ. Look the author of the book of Acts wants us to see that both in their gifting, in their social and in their racial backgrounds, the Church at Antioch has been specially pointed by God to be the means of reaching the world. God has brought together a distinct group of men and women, while Luke doesn't tell us what all the gifts that God has given to that Church are, he does enumerate for us that they included prophets and teachers. And he makes clear that that Church of Antioch was made up of distinctly called and appointed individuals with gifts that are to be used for the kingdom. There was no accident about the Church, there was no accident about the missionary journey being begun at Antioch, it was prepared by the providence of God. And as each one of us has been drawn into the sanctuary this morning and each of us can tell a different story of what it was that brought us here, both to begin and to continue in our journey of faith. We are face to face with the reality that we are not accidents as individuals and we are not accident as a community of faith, that in his providence the Lord has brought together uniquely gifted individuals, men and women. And he has brought each of us to this place, appointed to us this time and this event in history that we shall be his people. God doesn't make mistakes, we aren't the subject of chance or fortune, we're not here because faith brought us here. The story is that we do not tell the treasure in our heart as to how it is that we were brought together a part of the providence of God. And we should remember that his guidance to us, for as individuals and as a body comes in part through that providence that he directs. So we should be aware of each day, aware of the uniqueness of what God is doing in us and bonding us one with the other. Here the list of church leaders that's recorded shows both diversity and giftedness, Barnabas, was a Levite from Cyprus, Simeon, an African, Simon the Cyraini, probably the man who carried the cross for our Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly he became a Christian for his sons Alexander and Rufus were known in the Christian community. Then there's Lucius of Cyraini and Manayan, a foster brother or intimate friend of Herod, Antipas, ruler. You see a diversity of background, some wealthy, some poor, some educated, some without formal instruction, diversity of both ethnic background and of cultural understanding, Africans, Middle Easterners. Brought together in God's purpose in order that they should send from their midst of people to reach the world because the gospel of Christ could not be contained in one group any longer. You see that God by His providence is arranging this community to be the means of sending out. If he reminds us thereby that none of us should despise the providence that brings us together and none of us should ignore the reality that we are important within that providence. We bring our gifting to uniqueness of who we are by His creating grace and energy and He will use and employ us in His service. The church diverse yet one in its knowledge and love of Jesus Christ who is the gospel of God, the good news of salvation spoken to the sin of the world, that experience of His grace, that holding of the truth, that message that will not be denied, that was no accident entrusted for this church, but it was the deliberate work of God. So it is with each one of us gathered together now for this time in this place we are the creation of God and we are created for a purpose. And as we seek to understand how the Lord speaks to us, we seek to understand the providence of God. Tomorrow we see that as He speaks to His church, God speaks also by His deliberate presence with Him, but all while they were worshipping the Spirit said to them, send out for Me, those in whom I have spoken. Look is very clear that when God spoke, He spoke to those who were already gathered to listen to Him. They were met in worship and it reminds us that oftentimes when we say we wish God would speak to us the reason that we don't hear Him is because we aren't really listening at all. For we are given here the understanding that God comes to speak to us, not as the teacher, with a blackboard and chalk unfolding the future in deliberate lecture. But God comes to a people whose hearts are engaged, whose lives are surrendered in worship, who are gathered in His presence and therefore will listen to His word to understand His path. We are reminded of that. As you turn the 73rd Psalm, do you remember the Psalmist describing his own condition of doubt and turmoil of solace he turns around and says, my foot had almost, he couldn't understand what God was saying and doing in allowing unrighteousness to seemingly control the events of life. He was confused, the plexed couldn't understand why the Lord didn't make very clear that which was simple, why he didn't work in the way that he imagined he ought to work. And he remained confused until he said, I went into the sanctuary of my God and there I saw the way of the wicked. It will perish. He brought himself into the presence of God in worship and there the whole of his thinking was changed, his perspective was renewed. And oftentimes we want God to speak to us but we don't want to prepare our hearts to listen to Him. We anticipate that He will map out for us the way ahead and we do not gather in worship which is the appointed place by which He touches tender heart. It was on the Lord's day in worship that God came to John and brought to him an unfolding of the future and a revelation of the things that are to be. God meets us when we are prepared to hear Him. Oh certainly there are times when He gains our attention, there are times when He calls us and we hear and we cannot not listen. But we are reminded here that the normal means of God speaking to His people when they are gathered to hear Him, when they focus directed and anticipate His voice. It gives to us the challenge to put ourselves where we are listeners for the Lord, where we want Him to speak and where we are prepared to hear Him. Not simply where He will confirm our prejudices, but where He will speak to our souls. Direct our steps. God's call came to the church set apart for me. The Lord raised up specific servants to accomplish a particular task and God confirmed that in the hearts of His people. He didn't surprise Barnabas and Saul. They were not gathered in worship and suddenly they came to them this revelation that they were to go off and to be the first missionaries outside of the Jewish community. The text already reflects that He had worked on their hearts and their spirits individually, but it was when they came together in worship that God worked in them and in the community of faith and confirmed together the direction that they were to walk. We are reminded that God didn't bring counsel and direction and advice to Barnabas and Saul by giving it to other people. Oh, there are those who would love to have the ability to be able to tell us what God wants us to do and there are some people who have unmistakable clarity about your future. I remember one specific instance in California of someone who was clear about God's intention for my future, Marital Bliss with her. Unfortunately, unfortunately the Lord had not told me the same thing. There are people who will hear counsel and advice and guidance for you, but the counsel that is spoken of here is the confirmation of God's people in that which He has addressed to the souls of His people. God brings not two voices, doesn't speak with fucked up. His will is reflected in the hearts of those who seek Him and is confirmed by the community of faith and it is found in reverence and in obedience. And here you see the presence of God with His people in worship and guidance, guidance for the future direction into tomorrow comes with the presence of the Lord with us, not simply a set of instructions, but the promise of His presence, His providence orchestrating His presence confirming. You know, too, but in the nature of that guidance, it wasn't specific. He didn't say to Saul and to Barnabas, now off you go to Cyprus, I've got a specific place for you to move to. He said, go out, set them apart and off their girl and we are reminded that oftentimes we are looking for that which God doesn't give the specificity of the end of what we want. Oh, we want to know our destinations before we set out on some of our journeys and the Lord chooses not always to give to us a destination, but calls out of us faithfulness because He promises and covenants His presence that we shall live by faith, that we will draw close to Him and stay tuned to Him who will speak by His Spirit. God speaks by providence, by presence, and He speaks also by partnership for the church as it listens to the Lord, we are told, place their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them off as the Holy Spirit had called these men. So, people of God were privileged to share with the Lord in a partnership of blessing, and though not everyone in Antioch travelled to Cyprus, all of them prayed, each of them shared as they could in the work that God had drawn out of them. And we are reminded all of us here that God works through His church, not simply through individuals, but we are partnered one with another and we are partnered with God, and the nature of that partnership is the privilege, it's a sacred privilege of being able to hear His Word, of being able to sense His Spirit, of firm His leading and walking where He lives. It was a function of the Holy Spirit in the whole body, and in so doing, God corrects the ever-present danger of wanting to institutionalize the leading of His Spirit. So often we want to do what seems to be best and right without any sort of coming and seeking God's presence, and because He is partnered with us He reminds us we must stay close to Him. The church was not simply engaged on a business venture, the church was building the kingdom and to build the kingdom required that they should always be focused and centered upon the king in His kingdom. And as they laid hands on the two men who God's Spirit had identified and spoken to, so they shared in that work. Each of us gathered as we are challenged as we are to face the future of God's future, faces that future recognizing that His providence has brought us together and continues to direct us. His presence alone gives to us His guidance through His Word and by His Spirit and His partnership. Guarantee is that the work that we do, we do not do alone nor in our own strength, but in company with Him. The early church was found in worship and engaged in fasting which was a sign of the seriousness with which they sought the Lord. And we are challenged. If we want to hear God's voice to seek the Lord, to take the time to find His will, to read His Word, to wait upon Him, to contemplate in stillness word by word, carefully what He will say, to be able to know God. If you want that, it doesn't come with a cursory attendance of church to perhaps catch a glimpse of what God might say. It doesn't come as He drops a scroll into our lap to unfold our future, but by faith walking in obedience to a word revealed and a spirit who brings light by that word to our partner. That we might step by step, follow through uncertain times through the darkness of the present into God's provision, His future in which we are partnered with Him. Never abandoned and blessed. You know, you are gathered this morning in one of the most dangerous places that you could ever be for. For in worship, there is a danger. The danger that God will speak to you. And then you can never say, I never heard, I do not know. It is dangerous. As the Lord comes to challenge, as He speaks of fresh and causes, He breaks through prejudice and ignorance and apathy and reluctance. In worship, He meets with us, He speaks and He leads us onward to do His well, to build His kingdom and He promises to walk with us. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, the beginning of a new year, we see a fresh, your core, deliberate in the forming of your people, powerful in the presence of your spirit with us. Let us all enter the place where we shall dwell in your presence, the lighting in your company, finding your future unfolded to our hearts, in and through the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray in His name.