SERIES: A Church For the City
TEXT: Acts 13:1-12
MESSAGE: “Developing Humble Leaders in an Age of Celebrity”

“In place of celebrity pastors and mainstream Christian icons, we got something new: the Christian influencer. These are people who might not lead a church or write books or hold theological degrees, but they rack up millions of likes by talking about God online…Social media makes these relationships feel personal. People begin to feel like they know these influencers—that they can trust them and build their own spiritual frameworks around their content. But influence doesn’t always mean formation, and visibility doesn’t guarantee wisdom…Often these creators are new to faith themselves…They are not elders. They are not pastors. And they are not accountable.” — Annie Eisner

“Leadership is crucial to the success of any organization. The church is no exception. Everything rises or falls on leadership…Today, as always, there is a tremendous need for good, godly leadership in the church.” — Daniel Akin

What is God’s design for leadership in the Church?

Scriptures on leadership: Acts 20:28–38, 1 Timothy 3:1–7, Titus 1:5–9, 1 Peter 5:1–4

• First, Jesus is the Head of the Church
• Second, God appoints specific leadership roles within the church
• And third, leadership in the kingdom of God is defined by service and sacrifice.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:25-28

“The very first thing which needs to be said about Christian ministers of all kinds is that they are ‘under’ people as their servants rather than ‘over’ them…Jesus made this absolutely plain. The chief characteristic of Christian leaders, he insisted, is humility not authority, and gentleness not power.” — John Stott

“The world of the first century was a world in significant contact with God’s people. Among many in Europe, Africa, and Asia, a true and universal monotheism was an option on the spiritual menu…Within two centuries of Pentecost — and possibly even sooner than that — the Christian faith was already substantially a global movement.” — Donald Fairbairn

TEXT: Acts 13:1-12

Q: Let’s ask, what are the marks of a humble leadership culture? We learn three traits from this text. (1. Open-handed Community 2. Faithful Messengers 3. A Work of God)

1. Open-Handed Community (v. 2-5)

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.”

“It seems unlikely that we are meant to restrict them to the small group of five leaders…It is more probable that the church members as a whole are in mind, since both they and the leaders are mentioned together in verse 1, and on the not dissimilar occasion when the seven were to be chosen, it was the local church as a whole who acted (6:2–6).” — John Stott

2. Faithful Messengers (v. 6-11)

“When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “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?”

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” — John 14:6

“Bar-Jesus proved to be a false prophet, opposing the Word of God that Paul and Barnabas taught. Bar-Jesus tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith, seeing the missionaries as a threat to his prestige and livelihood. Two reasons people oppose the gospel are pride and materialism. Many people arrogantly refuse to admit they’re wrong. They refuse to humbly repent and say the gospel is true and salvation is in Christ alone. And many others refuse to give up their materialistic lifestyles to follow the path of discipleship. The gospel confronts idols. And when collisions happen, heated opposition sometimes ensues.” — Tony Merida

3. A Work of God (v. 11-12)

“‘And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will 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. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

“Luke concludes by telling us a great report (v. 12). While the darkness of judgment came on Bar-Jesus, the light of salvation burst on the Gentile ruler Sergius Paulus! As in the early chapters of Acts, a miracle provided an occasion to proclaim the gospel, and this prominent Roman official, who had “no religious background in Judaism” (Stott), became a member of the family of God.” — Tony Merida

TAKEAWAYS: What does it look like for us to intentionally develop humble leaders? It means being intentional in several ways.

• I. Developing, caring for, and praying for the leaders that we have.
• II. Praying for God to raise up more leaders for the mission.
• III. Creating pathways for developing future leaders.
• IV. Being ready to send humble leaders out when God calls.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14