The First Missionary Journey, Part 1

Jim ButlerActs 12:25

Acts 12:25–13:3 marks the launch of the first missionary journey and the pivotal moment when the church at Antioch, directed by the Holy Spirit, formally separates Barnabas and Saul for organised gospel mission to the Gentiles. The sermon traces this appointment back to the divine plan announced in Acts 9:15–16, showing that Paul's calling, suffering, and relentless preaching were purposed by Christ from the moment of his conversion on the road to Damascus. A sustained application argues that the local church — not parachurch agencies, mission boards operating independently, or individual self-appointment — is the proper centre for identifying, qualifying, and sending missionaries. The sermon closes with an appeal grounded in covenant theology: God's promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his seed is the very engine driving the missionary enterprise recorded in Acts.