Well, good morning. My name is Zun Mokoli, pastor at New Life Church, Catford. Let me add my welcome to Rose to you this morning, if you've arrived since we started. We're going to be looking at that passage, Acts chapter 12, verse 25 to 13, verse 12. So please keep that open if you shut it already. It's page 1110, 1,110 in your church Bibles. And I think if you have a larger print one, I don't know what the page number was again, The larger print Bible should be page 172 in the larger print. Let me pray for us, for God's help as we look at his word this morning together. Father God, we pray that you would, as the psalmist says, open our eyes, that we might see wonderful things in your law. Please give us understanding. Give me help to teach your word faithfully. I pray that you'd send each of us out this Sunday with a clear understanding of what you would have us do in response to this word. In Jesus' name, amen. I'd like you to complete the sentence in your head. Good worship looks like Dot, dot, dot. What do you put on the end of that sentence? Well, here's how a guy called John Piper, a minister in the States, describes the purpose of worship. In his book, Nate, let the nations be glad. John, John Piper says this missions exist because worship doesn't. The infinite all glorious creator is disregarded. disbelieved, disobeyed, and dishonored among the peoples of the world. If you love the glory of God, that is, if you love worship, you cannot be indifferent to missions. You see, John Piper says good worship looks like a heart for mission. And I wonder, as we meet on a Sunday morning, is that what you're expecting as you came to worship God this Sunday? It's not what I expect. You see, I come with an inward-looking expectation of worship. How can church impress me and meet my needs this Sunday morning, whether it's the music I expect or the people I want to see at church? See, but if John Piper is right, what we need more desperately this morning, this Sunday, more than seamless transitions in the songs, more than healings and stage, more than anything else, what we need this morning is to be captivated by what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing in history, which is calling worshipers out of every nation through the gospel. That's what we need from worship. But I take it we need convincing of that, and that's what today's passage is gonna help us with. Look down at Acts chapter 12, verse 25. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. They returned to Antioch, chapter 13, verse one tells us. Antioch is this church where Barnabas and Saul were some of the founding leaders. And they've been to Jerusalem for a time to go and deliver famine relief, but they've come back. And I tell you what, these guys are going to be excited to be back at their home church, Antioch, because Antioch was an exciting place to do ministry. It was the first truly multicultural church, planted by a group of pioneering Jewish Christians who thought, why don't we take the gospel to Greeks as well? And so God blessed that endeavor with a very exciting multicultural church. See, that was Jesus' plan all along. Acts chapter 1, if you read it, tells us that his plan is to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel. And in Antioch, ministry is going well. Just look at the diverse leadership. that's emerged in Antioch. Chapter 13, verse one, we're told of Simeon, called Niger, he's a North African black man under leadership in this church in Antioch. Niger is Latin for black. We're told of Lucius, who's from Cyrene, that's Libya, another North African man. We're told of Manen, who's an aristocrat, a member of the court of Herod. You know, he's the guy whose country house you use for the church weekend away, so you're glad that he's in your church. is a diverse leadership. Look at the people that have come up through the leadership in Antioch. And it was a diversity that reflected the city of Antioch, because Antioch as a city was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, about 500,000 people. If you had visited Antioch back in the first century, you'd have met people from Greece, from North Africa, from Persia, even from India in Antioch, because it sat on the Silk Road, which connected east to west and had a major port. You see, Grove Chapel Antioch was a church that every pastor dreamed of planting. It was a church that everyone wanted to be a part of. And so as Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch, it would have been so tempting for them and everyone else there to just sit and enjoy the ride. I mean, what a great church to be a part of. But actually what we see as we look into this passage is that this is a church where because they practice true worship, they're open to God's leading. It's a church where true worship drives spirit-empowered mission with the unstoppable gospel. That's the big message for today. True worship drives spirit-empowered mission with the unstoppable gospel. Let's look at the true worship, verses one to three of Acts chapter 13. Have a look down at verse two to three. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So I want you to imagine the scene, right? It must have been the most awkward church service ever, because maybe the band is in full swing, you know, the pianist, his hair's all over the place as he's going, and people have finally got to that point where they're so comfortable they can get their hands out of their pockets and in the air, and there's suddenly this interruption. Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul. I like to imagine maybe it was a voice from the air or something, I don't know. We don't know that's how it's happened, but whatever happened, there was this interruption. The Holy Spirit spoke to this church. It might have been an audible voice, it might have been through prayer, but whatever happened, there was a clear direction from the Holy Spirit. They stopped in their tracks and changed course. And the context in which this direction came from the Holy Spirit was in worship. It was devotion to the Lord. And so it helps to say what kind of worship is the Holy Spirit prepared to speak to us through? What kind of worship would lead to us listening to God's direction for us as a church? Well, let's look at the worship that was going on there in Antioch. Verse one, we're told that it was a worship led by word ministers, prophets and teachers, verse one. So these are people whose roles are about explaining the word of God. So the first thing we learn about true worship is that it's led by word ministers. Worship has to be centered around a word of God. And who are we worshiping? Verse two, they were worshiping the Lord. Now actually in the book of Acts, it's very interesting because the phrase the Lord gets increasingly used to describe Jesus. And so we have here in the first century in a church, people worshiping the man Jesus Christ as Lord, as God. You see, that is what sets Christian worship apart. If we meet on a Sunday and our worship isn't about Jesus, then we're not a church. Christian worship worships the God of the Bible, who has made himself known in the man Jesus Christ, who is risen as Lord. The object of true worship is the Lord Jesus Christ. And lastly, we see the posture or the attitude of true worship. Verse two and three, we look at the way of fasting, verse two. And in verse three, we're told to do a praying. Again, fasting as well in verse three. Now, this isn't saying that you need to lay a rule down about fasting or praying, but those two things, what do they describe? They describe an attitude of dependence on God. See, this is a church that was on its knees before its Lord. And so the attitude of true worship is dependence. And it's in that context, as worship is led by the word of God, directed at Jesus Christ, and independence on him, that God speaks and leads his church. And actually, just as a side note, it's interesting that nothing's mentioned about music. Because often what we say is worship is music. And we say, what kind of worship is there going to be this Sunday? And we mean music. But actually, when we look at the Bible, that's not what worship means. Obviously, music is good, and I hope you guys don't get rid of the piano. It's helpful. But worship is about the word of God directing us to Jesus Christ and driving us to our knees in dependence. Now, I wonder, is that your expectation on a Sunday? You see, often as I'm standing there in church, all I can think about is the person behind me who's singing out of key, and it sounds a bit like Russell Crowe in Les Mis. I think, could I just shut that voice out? But that's not what the Bible says. You see, on a Sunday, you've had a worship feast at Great Grove Chapel. If the Bible has been taught faithfully, if it's got you to see Jesus and to praise him as Lord, And if you're growing in dependence on God in prayer, then you are a worshiping church. And that's really encouraging, isn't it? It's really encouraging because actually sometimes we feel really weak as a church. Sometimes we feel really pathetic compared to what's going on in the world. But this is really achievable, isn't it? God says you truly are worshiping me if you're doing these things. I lead a small church, we're a recent church plan, we're just gonna be a year old in September. We're tiny, we're just a speck on the map. This is super encouraging for us, because as we meet on a Sunday and do those simple things, we read the word of God, we pray to God, we praise Jesus, then actually God's spirit is pleased to work through those things to lead us. And I hope Grove Chapel is also encouraged that those things, that what's happening, those are the things we're doing this morning as we meet here. The Holy Spirit is prepared to speak to us today because true worship is going on in this place. And so the question is, what would the Holy Spirit do? How will he lead us this morning? Well, that's the next thing we're gonna look at, that spirit-empowered mission is the result of true worship. Where there is true worship of the living God, he drives us to spirit-empowered mission. Have a look at verse four. Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there, they sailed to Cyprus. You see, the Holy Spirit will make the elephant in the room blindingly obvious where there is true worship. Let me help us understand what I mean by this. In 1865, a young man called Hudson Taylor was with a group of Christians in a church service worshiping, and he was suddenly moved and walked out of the church service. And the reason he gave was this, as he later described. He said this in one of his memoirs. that he was unable to be at a site of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security while millions in China were perishing for lack of knowledge. He says, I wandered out into the sands alone and I surrendered myself to God for this service. Hudson Taylor went on to found what was called the China Inland Mission. And he went into China, moved his family there, and he began the work of spreading the gospel amongst the millions of unreached people in China. By the time he died, his missions agency had converted about 25,000 Christians. Praise God. You see, Hudson Taylor, because he was part of a place that was worshiping the Lord, saw the elephant in the room You see, if Jesus is our Savior and Lord, and if he's the Savior not just of me, and the Lord not just of me, but of all, how come what we're doing in here on a Sunday, worshiping him, isn't what's going on out there in the world? And that's the burden that the Holy Spirit will put on the heart of those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ. If we seek Christ's glory, then the Spirit will drive us out. to make his glory known where it's not worshipped. It's what drove Hudson Taylor to China, and it's what drove Paul and Barnabas to the unknowns of Cyprus. See, as they arrived in Cyprus, they began the work of mission. Verse five says this, that they arrived at Salamis, and they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. You see, proclaiming the word of God is evangelism. It's mission, that's the work of mission. It's speaking verbally, the gospel. Mission means proclaiming the gospel. This word of God, the gospel, Peter describes in Acts chapter 10. You don't have to turn there, but Acts chapter 10, verse 36. Here's how Peter describes it. He says, it is preaching the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. It's very simple, isn't it? In the gospel, the God of the universe who humanity has ignored and refuses to worship, is making peace with any who will worship him through Jesus Christ as Lord. Mission exists because worship doesn't. And the Holy Spirit will drive us out if we're a worshiping church. And so can I ask, do you have a heart for mission? See, if we worship the Jesus of the Bible, the Holy Spirit will not let us be indifferent to mission. We don't have to be in Cyprus, but are we willing, wherever we are, to let the Holy Spirit disrupt the predictable patterns of our lives and lead us to new people and new places with the gospel? Maybe in our workplace, do we have an attitude that actually my lunchtime is not for me? It's for my colleagues. It's so I can get alongside them and share life and the gospel with them. And so when that colleague says, who's going to, I don't know, Costa at lunch, my hands are the first to go up, because I want to spend time with him at lunch and share the gospel with him. Maybe on the school run, do I have the mindset that this isn't just another chore in my day to tick off? but actually I can get alongside that mum with her kids, maybe that Muslim mum who's got kids and actually is just looking for a friend. Get alongside them, share my life, and share the gospel message. You see, Jesus' plan is to reach the ends of the earth. And so actually we need to have a heart for mission. And that will also mean a heart for the nations. We live in a city, London, that 55% of people and not from this country. We're living in a time when London is a minority-majority city. Ethnic minorities make up more than 50% of the population. And if you're a Christian, that's exciting. That's got to be exciting news. You cannot be against that if you're a Christian, because Jesus once reached the ends of the earth, and they've come here to London. And so I think of Grove Chapel's work with International Cafe and Pete Barker and all he does, and I think, thank God for that work, because this is a church that understands it, that gets it. The nations are here, and Jesus wants us to read them the gospel. It would also mean maybe one or two people here will grow a heart and a conviction to go overseas, a mission. It might be that that's something that God is beginning to put in your heart already. He's calling you to think about leaving and going to somewhere where the gospel is not known. Missionaries talk about a 1040 window. It describes the latitude and longitude of places in the world where there's very little access to the gospel. Those tend to be Islamic countries that are quite hostile to the gospel. But one of those countries, for instance, is Morocco. You know, we go on holiday to Morocco. I'm sure probably a few people here have been to holiday in Morocco, but actually that's a country where only 1% of people are Christian. And 87% of people have no viable access to the gospel. So we need to stop going on holiday to Morocco and go on mission to Morocco. Look, if you've been a Christian any number of years, you will know that in practice, mission is never easy. The reality is Morocco is not putting out a red carpet for Christians to come. In fact, they would rather you didn't. And the reality is in your office, as you try to share the gospel with colleagues, it can be scary. You think, I've got atheist colleagues who, they've got brains the size of planets. They're ready to knock down everything I say. See, opposition to the gospel is inevitable. And so as we try to live a mission-centered life, we need reminding that the gospel we proclaim is powerful, it's unstoppable. And that's the last thing we see, the unstoppable gospel in verses 6 to 12 of Acts 13. Now I want you to imagine this before we look at those verses. Imagine that Paul Eulet, the pastor here, imagine in his week, no one knows what pastors actually do during the week, right? They just turn up on Sunday, but imagine during the week He's in his office working away, maybe writing a sermon, and the phone rings. And Paul picks up the phone. And on the phone, he hears a voice. He goes, hi, Paul. It's Sadiq Khan here, mayor of London. And Paul's like, oh, right. Thank you for calling. How can I help? And Sadiq Khan says, well, Paul, look, you might not know this, but I've been following your church on Twitter and on the website and Instagram. I've been seeing all the stuff you guys are doing. And I just have one question, Paul. You keep talking about this gospel thing. Can you tell me what is the gospel? Just help me with that. And at that point, Paul's jaw would hit the floor. It's like, what? We can't imagine that kind of thing happening, right? But it's exactly that kind of open-goal opportunity that Paul, a different Paul, Paul the Apostle, gets to Sergius, the proconsul, i.e. the mayor of Cyprus, in verse 7. Have a look at verse 7. Paul happened to be with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. who summoned Barnabas and Saul, who was also called Paul, and sought to hear the word of God. Basically, the mayor of Cyprus said, come and explain to me the gospel. I don't know how that happened, but they're there. And they're trying to explain the gospel to this guy, Sergius. But look at what's going on. Verse eight, but Elemis, the magician, for that is the meaning of his name, opposed him, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. See this guy, Elimas, verse eight, who's also called Bar-Jesus, he was a Jewish man who's into sorcery and magic, but he also happened to be an official in the courts of Sergius, and he decides to make himself a barrier to what Paul and Barnabas are about to do. He tries to prevent them explaining the gospel, and actually, I wonder if in his mind, he was being very reasonable. Perhaps his reasoning was very similar to what we might hear today. He would have been thinking maybe these Christians are just very intolerant. Who do they think they are coming in here to our island, telling people what to believe? You know, Sergius, you're a man of intelligence. All religions are basically the same thing. Why should you side with one religion over another? I'm sure Elemis thought he was being very wise, very reasonable, like many of us today. But look at the perspective Paul has on him. Verse 10, Paul said to him, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? It's not exactly the kind of words you want in your obituary column. Paul calls him his son of the devil. Now, his name was Bar-Jesus, which means son of Jesus, but Paul says, you're not the son of Jesus, you're the son of the devil. And so why is Paul being so strong at this guy who probably thinks he's wise? Well, he says to him, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? Paul is deliberately echoing the words of Isaiah 40. In Isaiah 40, God's plans to save people is described as making straight the crooked or uneven places. You see what Paul is saying? He's saying to Elymas, you're trying to do the exact opposite. You're trying to make straight places crooked. You're trying to oppose God's plans to save people. In your wisdom, you are in fact foolish because you're standing in opposition to the God who wants to save sinners. And that is a foolish thing. See, I don't know if you're here today, maybe you're not a Christian or you're just looking into Christian things. Maybe you're not yet convinced about them. And it might be that up to now, your basic belief in life has been the golden rule of Western secularism. Do you know what that is? The golden rule of Western secularism is this. It'll sound familiar. Everyone is free to live as they want as long as they're not hurting anyone else. Sounds wise, doesn't it? It's a pretty good way to live. But the reality is that will make you a very intolerant person towards the gospel. Because in the gospel, in the Christian message, we hear this, that actually there aren't many equally valid ways to get life right. There's only one way. You need to receive peace from God through trusting in Jesus who died on the cross. That's the only way to get life right. And so a message like that will make you intolerant and opposed to the gospel if your basic belief is what the Western secular agenda says. You see, the wisdom of the Western world, in the final analysis, is foolishness in the eyes of God, because it puts you in a position to a God who wants to save sinners. And we see that he's ultimately foolish to oppose God's plan and the gospel, because ultimately the gospel can't be stopped. Verse 11, have a look down. And now Paul continued to speak to him. He said, and now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you'll be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. Immediately, mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. You see, Elemas' folly is exposed. The hand of the Lord, that is Jesus Christ, struck him with blindness. Now, I'm not saying that this is some sort of universal threat, that if you don't obey the gospel, you're going to be blind. That's not how it works. But it should serve for us today as a picture of the reality and the sadness of spiritual blindness. Because when we reject the gospel, what we say is this. We think that we are wise. without Jesus. We think we can see truth without Jesus. But God says to us, you're actually blind and groping in the dark. You're just like Eleus. And that is a hard thing to hear, but it's true. See, instead, we're to follow the example of Sergius, who we read in verse 12, the proconsul believed when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. You see, that day, he proved himself an intelligent man, not because he was a man of the world, but because despite his high status, he humbled himself and believed the gospel. You see, he was astonished. He was literally amazed at who Jesus is, verse 12. He gave himself to worship Jesus as Lord. And that's the power of the gospel. It cannot be stopped. You see, true worship will drive us to spirit-empowered mission with the unstoppable gospel. If you're here this morning as a Christian, as a Christian, be encouraged. Be really, really encouraged. Opposition will come as you try to share the gospel. It will happen. But the gospel cannot be stopped, ultimately. You see, it's worth all your position to find that surgeous in your office, on your streets, overseas in mission, in this national capital. It's worth all your position in the world to find that surgeous who will listen to the gospel and be amazed by Jesus. There's nothing better than that, when you see the lights switch on for someone. They cross over from death to life. Well, maybe you're here this morning as someone who's investigating Jesus. Well, I'll say to you, do not let the opposition of your peers of the secular culture stop you from looking into who Jesus is. Keep looking into Jesus. The penny will soon drop and you too will be amazed by who Jesus is. And God says you will receive peace with him. That's it for me this morning. Let me pray for us, and I'll lead us in the last song and hand back over to the room.