 At chapter 13 we're going to be looking at verses one through nine the title of this message is it's time to go it's time to go you say it's time to go where where wherever it is God has called you to go I believe that the time of sitting in a church pew it's over it's over many you've been sitting in a church pew for years it's time to go and do what God has called you to do did you know that there's not a gift of sitting in the church pew some of y'all think you got that gift well you I mean y'all operate in it every sunday and then operate in for years there's no such gift as let me come to church and sit in a chair God has gifted you to use that gift for the glory of God and for the people of God not just for you to sit on it or watch this or for you to what I call prostitute your gift you use your gift just to make you money and it is time for you to stop it's time for you to go wherever it is God has called you to go for him or let's dive right in we got some a lot of material to cover look what it says there in verse one now in the church that was at Corinth there were certain prophets and teachers Barnabas Simeon who was called Niger Lucius of of Cyrene and Manion who had been brought up with Herod the tetron and Saul the first thing I want to bring to your attention is that this here this is this was the church that happened to be in the city of Antioch a great work broke out there through Barnabas and now that there is a church that was being started there and with every church it was at the foundation of every church is godly leadership there must be godly leadership to anchor God's church and here we see it here the church that was in Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers the prophets there they not only forth told the heart of God to the people of God but they also sometimes foretold future events we see this in Acts chapter 11 in verse 28 with with Agibus how Agibus was a prophet and he foretold of a future famine that was going to take place in the days of Claudius Caesar and it did happen in the years of 44 45 AD so here these prophets there but not only were there prophets there to foretold the heart of God to the people of God but there were also teachers or teachers were foundational in the early church and what is so needed today you know i'm i'm preaching to the choir with the church like this i'm preaching to the choir because you're at a very fine teaching church a church that teaches the word of God but many of us who came from the communities that i grew up in and i'm looking out there and i see some of you out here you know that there was just a bunch of preaching and i think that the church big C the church has been preached to death see preaching is for the unbeliever and teaching is for the believer when you're preaching the word of God you're proclaiming the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for people to give their life to the Lord so once they give their life to the Lord then they need to be taught so what's happening is that that many of the churches i grew up in there are just some preaching and the preaching is very colorful i mean sometimes they walk the pews and and they're preaching and they're loud there's a lot of loud a lot of noise and a lot of pizzazz you don't know much of what he said once you leave but it was just exciting something to excite your emotions and you're there and you who is preaching and let's say after that preaching you give your life to the Lord you come back the next week and there's more preaching there's more preaching and you come back the third week there's more preaching there's more preaching and what happens is you never go on to maturity like Hebrew success there's never a maturity and in many of the churches i came out of many people are not walking with God you know why they never been taught how they just hear preaching when they come and so you have in the church a lot of preaching but you don't have teaching and like i said i'm preaching to the choir here because that's not the case here it's not the case here it's it's it's the case in a lot of churches back east where i'm from and really across the united states very few it's very very little teaching so you had some prophets and some teachers in the early church now there's names given to them we see some of the leaders here uh also in verse one and there was Barnabas let's just look at these people and see if you identify with one of them here it is this is Barnabas now we know Barnabas we we know from Acts 4 and verse 36 his real name was Joseph but because every time you looked up Barnabas was encouraging people they said no you know your name is yeah we're gonna start calling you Barnabas you know my my name is Joseph no you Barnabas now because he always encouraged people whenever they were around him he always encouraged them oh let me ask you this are you a Barnabas on your job what about in your home are you a a Debbie Downer or are you like a spiritual pig pen you just kick up a lot of dust when you're around you don't pick him from the peanuts well if you're in the 30 google google that and and it's a real dirty kid that'll pop up you know and you just kick up dust every time you around this this wasn't the case with Barnabas everybody left encouraged when they left Barnabas let me ask you some wives wives are you are you a Barnabas to your husband or are you always just complaining about him leaving the toilet seat up when you got rollers curlers shampoo hair products all over the the play the bathroom looks like your personal beauty salon and you complain about a toilet seat left up I mean it kills me and the thing you get you you pull out the gentleman card well if you're a gentleman put the seat down and can I start a new move here because everybody wants to be everybody wants equality today okay let's let's go with that equality if I am a gentleman by putting putting the toilet seat down can you be a lady by putting it up that's just a thought and just until everybody wants equality here that just makes sense to me you know I questioned that this this is why I had to get out of the get out of the Marine Corps when I did because I questioned things then when things didn't make sense I questioned it I we had to go you know we had to line up when I was in the Marine Corps we had to line up and we had to go outside and it's called police called you had to go and pick up cigarette butts and I used to challenge that because I said I don't smoke I said how about gathering all of the smokers and have them go out and police call their own cigarette butts that's a thought and but but but I was eating nothing and I couldn't say those things and that's why I had to get out but but I challenge if something doesn't make sense it doesn't make sense if we are a gentleman by putting the seat up why not be a lady and when you leave you put it down and everybody's happy you know it everybody would be happy if we just did it okay okay I'm just trying to help us I'm just I'm just trying to help us so Barnabas wasn't encouraged he was occurred the next one is Simeon who was called Niger now Niger is Latin for black it means that he was from Africa many scholars believe that this is the same Simeon that carried the cross of Jesus in Luke 23 and verse 26 now if and and and he had that encounter with with with Jesus if this is the case then look at the next guy Lucius of Cyrene now this if Simeon is the same Simeon that had an encounter with Jesus it meant that he went back home found his boy Lucius and told him about his encounter with Jesus and he came to know the Lord and now they're serving together in ministry let me tell you something there are some people just like Lucius waiting on you to come back to the job tomorrow to tell them about your encounter with Jesus today and you never know they can give their life to the Lord and come here and serve with you in the children's ministry the youth ministry the parking lot ushering or greeting because you told them about your encounter with Jesus today there are many people like Lucius waiting on you on tomorrow then there is Manion who had been brought up with Herod the Tetron now Manion not much is known about him but it's amazing that this phrase Manion this phrase who had been brought up with that phrase is one Greek word and that Greek word can be translated as foster brother so you may be saying well so what Manion was a foster brother well it said that he was brought up with Herod the Tetron this is key here Tetron is a word that just means one fourth when Herod the Great died his kingdom was divided up into four parts each son took a fourth which is where Tetron came from so he was brought up in the home of Herod a grippa now we know that Herod the Great was a murderous murderous guy Herod a grippa beheaded John the Baptist Manion was brought up in that wicked vile ungodly home but look how God plucked him out and maybe this describes your home maybe you grew up in a vile ungodly home and now look at you now God plucked you out and now he saved you why did he save you because he loves your family and he wants you to go back to reach them but what happens so often when we're the only one to get saved out of our families then we go back to family reunions with a cocky arrogant attitude with our noses in the air look at these ungodly people and then when someone come over and say hey good to see you haven't seen you in years and they're smoking and you're like oh please these lungs have been sanctified how dare you defile them with that smoke God never saved you for you to go back and be cocky and snooty and stuck up and then you at the family reunion at the picnic with your Bible open you don't got your leg crawled you know you dangling that foot god never saved you for you to be like that he saved you so you can go back and reach I'm looking at some of y'all's faces because that's what y'all do you turn yes that's you that's you cocky arrogant you get around co-workers and the company party and you're the same way same way god never saved us to be cocky and arrogant he saved us so we can go back and reach these people that's why he plucked us out so we can reach them so so there was manion who had been brought up at here at the Tetron and Saul we know Saul will later be changed to Paul and he will be the great apostle Paul where one-third of our New Testament was written by him so notice verse two is this as they minister to the Lord stop right there as they minister to the Lord notice that he looked the author didn't say they minister for the Lord many you say oh I want to give me something to do for the Lord I heard Pastor Tony on Sunday I want to do something for the Lord no no no no ministry is always to the Lord it's always to him what we do is always for an audience of one and that's him you're doing it to him notice notice this Luke didn't say they minister to the people didn't say that either see because if you minister to people then you will be tempted at times to compromise to please people and this is why Paul said in glacis 110 he says do I seek to please men or god if I seek to please men then I am a I'm not a servant of Christ is what he said I'm not you're not a servant of Christ you're serving of the people see if I'm if I'm ministering to people then when certain people come in or I hear that someone came to church then I'd be tempted to come oh maybe I shouldn't say that because ministry is always to the Lord and I'm ministering for an audience of one I'm teaching right now for the Lord and you guys happen to be ease dropping on our conversation and then as you're ease dropping on our conversation you're going to be blessed by this well see ministry is always always to the Lord so as they minister to the Lord watch this look at the conjunction and and fast it stop right there fasting is denying the spiritual oh as you were denying the physical so you can focus and concentrate on the spiritual I hear you all the time saying you you you got to get it right well I'm fasting from social media no you're not fasting from social media you're taking a break from social media fasting don't miss this fasting I hope you're listening fasting is always associated with food food last time I I said you can't eat social media so you're taking a break from social media you're not fasting thus because see I know how you are you always want to be try to be spiritual super super duper spiritual you're not fasting from social media you're taking a break fasting is always always associated with food always they're different kind of fast I was talking to someone after first service they're different kind of fast when when you're going fast and there is no drinking or no food that fast is no more biblically than three days no more no more than that if you're going to fast god leads you on the fast longer than that then that's somewhat of what we call a Daniel fast where there's no meat no sweets desserts and fooling around and that kind of stuff and you know and maybe I need to say that out here maybe you guys are just got a little bit more on the ball than we do back east but I always got to remind our people when we when we fast and we say there's no meat don't say you know I fasted for 30 days I didn't have any meat and then there's a pause as if you put a comma there and said well but I had fish and chicken what do you think fish and chicken is vegetables it's me mindset wrong fish and chicken is not it's not me what is it a fruit so if you're going to fast more than three days it's more of a Daniel kind of fast notice as they minister to the Lord and fasting notice this is when the Holy Spirit said notice that the question is notice what it says now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I've called them now the Holy Spirit said now separate them how did the Holy Spirit speak was it like hey hey I know I know I'm interrupting y'all praying but I'm the Holy Spirit separate to me no the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets in verse one that's how the Holy Spirit spoke notice what it says now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I've called them I want to draw your attention to the word now it's as if the Holy Spirit has placed an urgency there now the time to go is now when is it when should we go now when is the time now not yesterday now it's as if the Spirit of God it's and there's an urgency here so he said now is the time when I was teaching this to our church I I had to stop and I said Lord I'm not I'm not satisfied with that I said Lord is there something else here I said because Lord I know our people when they hear now and there the Holy Spirit said now is the time to go now is the time I said Lord I know our people our people as soon as church is over they're going to go to the U-Haul and say Pastor Tony said it's the Spirit of God said now is the time now we got to go now the next day people putting in their two weeks notice on their job because the time is going now is now and and I said Lord I'm not satisfied I said I know these people they're gonna they're not they're not gonna take this the right way and it was right before service the Spirit of God spoke to me to add this in my notes and this is this notice that the urgency of the Spirit of God came after they fasted and prayed and this is what's key don't you run and sell your house put your get a U-Haul truck put in your two weeks notice and you have to spend one second fast and in praying I am amazed at how many people call themselves Christians who make life altering decisions all the time hasn't spent one second fast in and praying now one minute fast in and praying and you make these decisions and many of them blow up in your face and you wonder why because see I'm so glad I added that because many of you matter of fact I just heard a story at the first service at the first service a guy came up to one of the one of the leaders at the church and said hey did the the pastor Tony get an email or a note from my wife how did he know what to say how did he know that I was going to be here and he no doubt he went to his wife and said you told pastor Tony to say those things because he had just made the life altering decision putting this house up on the market doing all this crazy stuff ready to move they're not using me there therefore I'm going somewhere where I can be used of the Lord and he hadn't spent one second fast and in praying it stopped them in his tracks and I'm stopping you too because there are some of you here this week you're about to make life altering decisions and then when you heard me say now is the time now it's the time to go you're like oh boy your legs are wiggling you better take that sign down from in front of your house remove your two weeks notice and stop fooling around because you haven't spent one second fasting and praying and you know it and I'm amazed many Christians Christians make life altering moving out of state it's time to leave California this state I tell you so wicked as if the other 49 got it going on so places wicked so I tell people you know you're gonna leave it ain't the environment because wherever you go there you are there ain't the environment you leave California you go to Texas you go to Virginia it's no matter where you go it's wicked just not to get planted somewhere and deal with the wickedness and fight the wickedness oh somebody need to hear that didn't you I'm leaving California because they're making laws and things here that I just I can't take it they're making laws everywhere we live in a wicked generation by whom the Bible said we should shine as lights that's what Philippians two said last time I checked that's in my Bible y'all did y'all have that in your Bible's out here in California oh okay I just thought it was a Virginia Bible no uh-uh so the Lord told them separating to me Paul and Barnabas for the work I've called them it says then having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them they sent them away and so being sent out by the Holy Spirit they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus now I want to let me go and read verse five and when they arrived in Salamis they preached the word of God in the synagogue of Jews and they also had John as their assistant now the first thing I want to point out in verse four is how the Holy Spirit was very instrumental in leading and guiding the apostles in the early church and even though the church leaders in Antioch they laid hands on Saul and Barnabas and sent them away in verse three it is obvious that the sending was by the Holy Spirit according to the first part of verse four they went down to Seleucia which was 16 miles away near the mouth of the Orantees River and Seleucia served as the port of the city of Antioch and once there they took a boat to Cyprus which was 60 miles off the Syrian coast now the question is why did they choose to first go to the city of Cyprus well number one we know that the Holy Spirit sent them there we know that number two according to Acts 4 36 it was the hometown of Barnabas don't miss this point God works supernaturally in a natural way yes God sent them to Cyprus but they also don't miss this they wanted to go to Cyprus it was both why am I in Virginia because God sent me there I used to live out here God sent me to Virginia but you know why I'm in Virginia as well because I wanted to go simple as that see Philippians 2 13 says it is God who works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure so God wanted me to go to Virginia then he put it in my heart to go and I said honey told my wife honey we're going to Virginia isn't that simple see some of y'all y'all y'all so super spiritual y'all want y'all want the voice from heaven part the cloud God said hello and he says your name I need you to go to Virginia that's what you want God works supernaturally in a very natural way I tell people all the time you know hey I'm talking to folks and they say you know what I'm afraid to really commit my life to Jesus Christ why he may send me to the jungles of Africa and I look at him you know with my head tilted I said do you want to go to the jungles of Africa no I think I'm not gonna see you there if God wanted you to go to the jungles of Africa he put it in your heart to go there you couldn't wait you know oh boy I can't wait what you can't wait where you going to the jungles of Africa I can't wait to get there see it's God who works in us both the willing to do his good pleasure God wanted them to go to Cyprus all in Barnabas but Barnabas wanted to go there it was his hometown isn't that simple you see how God works supernaturally in a very natural way y'all want the sparks and y'all want the clouds pardoning and all this and God I'm just waiting on the Lord I was talking to a kind of social media before arguing over something dumb about spreading the gospel is I'm just waiting to be led by the Lord to go I said he told us to go 2000 years ago you want personal invitation go therefore make disciples of all nations go into all the world preach the gospel to every creature which part of go do you not understand but out here California super spiritual oh I'm waiting to be led of the Lord all that playing around that's your excuse to not go that's what it is that's your excuse excuse to be a procrastinator that's what it is yep I came all the way to Virginia to tell you that I did the second thing I'm going to bring to your attention is we must first be a missionary at home before we ever try to be a missionary anywhere else uh we see this in the qualifications of a pastor in 1st Timothy 3 in verse 5 it says if a man does not know how to rule his own house how will he take care of the house of God it's a rhetorical question with an obvious negative answer meaning that he can't the man called to ministry must first be a minister at home before he ever tries to minister at church uh we see it here so or should I say Barnabas wanted to first learn how to be a missionary at home before he goes out and tries to be a missionary around the world so if our homes are our churches then how is your church doing men single parents if our homes if our homes are are mission field then how are you being a missionary at home see you don't want men you don't want your wives to despise your ministry because they come to church and see you greeting everybody how are you good to see you till you're handing out a bulletin opening up the door and for her she gets the door slammed in her face you're grump at home but you're so bubbly and so everything here oh ladies you're no different you don't want your husband to despise your ministry you're serving here like yesterday there there were 430 some guys who bought breakfast burritos and things that means there are some people who had to make those burritos and you're here and you you're making burritos and oh are we running out okay all right and you're rushing you run around here and you're making rolling them up putting them in aluminum foil you know cutting them in half and you're just doing all and the husband's looking back and saying well I just want to get to play the fool can I get to play that home I only have two hands when you think I am you get up and get it yourself nothing wrong with your legs but you get here and you're bubbly oh whatever you need oh you must first learn how to be a minister at home you must first learn how to be a missionary at church you must first learn how to be a usher a greeter a parking lot person at home before you ever try to be one here because your family they're watching and if you're not that way at home they're going to despise your ministry they're despised your ministry and this is why Barnabas knew before he ever tried to be a missionary around the world he had to first learn how to be a missionary in his own home city so they arrived in Salamis which was the main port city and they wanted to reach the large Jewish population in that area so they preached the word of God in the synagogue of the Jews according to verse five they also had John as their assistant now this is John Mark the nephew of Barnabas according to Colossians 410 for you note takers Colossians 410 says that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas there's no Greek word for nephew so the closest translation can be cousin but it was his nephew now we know from Acts 12 12 that John Mark was from Jerusalem and when Barnabas and Saul took financial relief to the church in Jerusalem during that famine that agabas prophesied would take place when they came back to Antioch John Mark wanted to go with his uncle hey uncle Barnie can I can I go with you take me with you either okay boy come on come on and he brought John Mark back with him and now John Mark is with them on the first missionary journey look at verses six through eight now when they had gone through the island of pathos they found a certain sorcerer a false prophet a Jew whose name was bar jesus who was with the procounsel Sergius Paulus an intelligent man this man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God but alignment's the sorcerer for so his name is translated with stood them seeking to turn the procounsel away from the faith now here's this missionary team heading out with joy and excitement and they were so excited that verse six says when they had gone through the whole island they were so excited they went to the whole island to pathos which was the capital of Cyprus on the southwest coast it was also known for being the center for the worship of aphrodite or the roman name of venus which was the goddess of love the greatest festival in cyprus in honor of aphrodite was called the aphrodisia which was held for three days in the spring that was attended by a great great many people around cyprus as well as other countries came to celebrate this festival the women living there had to commit to being a temple prostitute at least once in her lifetime oh it was a sad place but a place very near and dear to the heart of barnabas now we look at this as being terrible we say you know what how can those women commit to being a temple prostitute at least once in their lifetime as if that is some kind of badge of honor or something but you know what barnabas this was his hometown he loved these people and he wanted to reach them for jesus christ how different is it here in our country people giving themselves over to aphrodite the goddess of love looking for love how many of you here have gone through many relationships ladies many men looking for love see we can easily look down upon these people here but our country is no different there are people on the corners right now giving themselves over to aphrodite there are people more professional that are call girls and call boys there are young ladies right now putting themselves through through college all in the name of strip clubs and all in the name of aphrodite and we easy can look down upon these people because when you see them on the corner when you hear about them when you see them on billboards as you're driving across the country and you see them advertising themselves or whatever how do you feel about them does your heart break do you give them your anger more than you give them your prayers it's a sad thing yes it is sad but how do you feel towards them do you look at them and with disdain and just oh can't believe them our generation is no different than what they were doing here they gave themselves to be in temple prostitutes there are many people who are giving themselves for free all in the name of looking for love and it's a sad thing yes it is but does your heart break for them or do you turn your nose and look down upon them see does your heart break for this generation does your heart break when you hear about all the people up on skid row up there in LA does your heart break for them when you see folks around here they're out of their minds that you're like oh get away from me or does your heart break for more see Barnabas heart it broke for his people in Cyprus and that's why he wanted to go there and reach them if your heart doesn't break for this generation you would never reach them you would never you'll stay in your nice little sterile incubator here and when you go outside these doors you'll pull your coat to yourself and and and run to your house and then you'll run back to the incubator and your heart never breaks for them it never breaks for them your heart got to break the only way your heart would break you got to pray for this generation that's how your heart breaks Jesus came to seek and to save the loss is that your heart the way you get the heart of Jesus is by drawing closer to Jesus and then his heart will rub off on you so this is what happened with Barnabas this will happen with Barnabas I'm running out of time I'm running out of time all right now whenever God wants to use us to further the gospel satan will always stir up opposition to stop it I say this because when the team got to pathos they found a certain sorcerer a false prophet a Jew whose name was bar jesus now the Greek word for sorcerer is magos or magi and it does not always have a negative connotation we know this from the magi who came from the east to see Jesus when he was a toddler in Matthew chapter two and verse one however Luke the author tells us how bar jesus whose name means son of salvation was being used by satan because not only was he an evil magician but he was also a false prophet and a Jew so the magi in this context does have a negative connotation or a negative meaning and to show you the evil plans of satan satan always wants to influence those in charge of rulings and those in charge of making decisions he attaches himself to these people we see it here he attached himself to a roman official we're giving his name his name was sergius paulis who happened to be the pro council which meant that he was possibly the governor of cyprus according to verse seven you know i i i just i believe satan is still doing this he is still attaching himself to those in charge of a nation a state or local level in making decisions and passing laws do not be overwhelmed when there are laws and things being made that are anti godly anti biblical and against jesus christ satan attaches himself to rulers and those who are in authority so he can influence them to make ungodly unbiblical decisions see here's the thing you're you're i've been keeping my ear out my eyes out many of you are freaking out over the the governor and the different decisions being made and you're freaking out and protesting and all that okay you you can do all that but how often are you praying for the bible says in first timothy two verses one and two that we need to pray for those it says i it says first of all that prayer supplication given to thanks be made for all men for kings and all who are in authority why that you may lead a peaceable quiet and peaceable life with all godliness and reverence how often are you praying for how often do you pray for the governor of california don't be shocked by the laws they're trying to pass and yes we as christians we need to because we're light we need to go back oh no you ain't passing that law that's great are you praying for him at the same time because satan will always attach themselves to those in charge of nations states and on a local level but here's the thing something else we're giving a further description of sergius paulus he was also an intelligent man he even realized that his intelligence or his knowledge could not satisfy his soul his knowledge could satisfy his head but knowledge could not satisfy his soul and this is why it says at the end of verse seven that this man called for barnabas and sol and sought to hear the word of god even though he was possibly conducting an investigation into this new religion sweeping the area of cyprus that he was the governor of throughout the jewish communities but i think he had a genuine interest in the word of god my point is do not write off the people like sergius paulus that are around that are in places of authority that are intelligent people or maybe even be influenced by a bar jesus do not immediately write them off that they would have no interest in the word of god or christianity this man had a position he had intelligence but he called for barnabas and sol to hear the word of god because your boss is your boss because the company owner is the owner because of all that stuff is going on do not be shocked they have an interest for the word of god like i got an interest for that phone to shut off but that's another that's another story our church know they their phone better not go off because i will just landblast them and put them on blast for the world to hear because when that message gets on the radio around the country their phone will be talked about for the world to hear now meanwhile back at the ranch these people they have an interest in the things of god you better believe they they turn it off right now they have an interest in the word of god and the things of god but please understand whenever you try to talk to anyone about the things of god satan will bring a bar jesus to try to erase everything you're trying to tell them don't be shocked by that this is a battle for souls it's not an intellectual battle i remember talking to i felt bad for this poor girl choose choose a Mormon in our area and knocking on the doors and she happened to come to my door maybe she didn't get the memo that my house is one house you pass and she didn't and she didn't get that memo so she came and that poor girl i'm for oh i look back on it now this is years ago 10 15 years ago and i just blasted her out of the water every argument she had i showed how Mormonism was false that joseph smith fall i just blasted it out of the water and then i said now can you go to the next house and say that you have the true gospel she looked at me and says yes i can i said this is not an intellectual battle this is beyond intelligence this is a spiritual battle for the souls of people you if you don't remember anything you you got to remember this this is a spiritual battle and you must talk to god about people before you talk to people about god this is key here this is so important because god will go before you and prepare that heart for you to share with them the bible says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against stop looking at the flesh and blood of your spouse stop looking at the flesh and blood of your coworker the flesh and blood of your neighbor or the flesh and blood of sergius paulis stop looking at the flesh and blood of the bar jesus influencing them the battle was not flesh and blood it's satan working behind it pray that god give you eyes of jesus peter said far better from your jesus from going to the cross jesus said get behind me satan for you're not mindful of the things of god but the things of man he knew who was influencing peter to say that to him he knew it was satan pray that god will give you eyes eyes of jesus let me let me close on verse nine then saw who was also called paul this is where his name was officially changed filled with the holy spirit looked intently at him i don't have time to unpack that but let me just say this saw was his Hebrew name and it means requested one or asked for and paul means little no longer did he want to identify with being the requested one he says call me little because he understood something what proverbs 1533 says before honor there's humility james 410 says humble yourself on the side of the lord and he will lift you up first peter 5 6 says humble yourselves under the mighty hand of god and he will exalt you in due season so if you're not being lifted up or exalted two things are taking place number one you have not humbled yourself yet or number two it's not your season can i talk to you about that it's not your season so don't be jealous nor envious when it's someone else's season saying things like this they don't appreciate me here at this job or this church they do it's just not your season it's not your season yet some guy about the i told you earlier about the leave and go out of the area i'm gonna go to this church over here because they don't appreciate me here they do appreciate you here it's just not your season yet it's not your season somebody needs to hear that today it's it's not your season well i'm going to go and get me more knowledge and then they will see that i'm valued and valuable to this company you go you can go get 15 doctor degrees and all they would do a puff your head up because knowledge puffs up and love edifies it'll puff your head up and it really won't be your season just not your season it's not your season i've been at this company longer than they have is their season and not yours so don't be jealous envious or angry when it's someone else's season it's not until you see yourself as paul it's not until you see yourself as little that's when god will exalt you and bring your season to you you still see yourself as saul the requested one to ask for they asked me to come to this job but it's not until you see yourself as paul it's little it's when god's gonna exalt you you remember what happened with king saul in first samuel at the end god said this he says saul king saul watch this when you were little in your own eyes i made you leader over my people implying you don't see yourself as little in your own eyes you see yourself as big stuff and that's why the kingdom is being stripped away it's not until you see yourself as little you see yourself as paul that's when your season will come they asked me to come to this job i'm the man here hey listen up everybody i'm the the kingdom of that position is about to be stripped from you because it's not until you see yourself as paul that's when god is going to exalt you let me close with this it's time to go it is time for me to go it really is i ran out of time and we saw that it was time for saul and barnabas to go on their first missionary journey but they first went home because we must first be a missionary at home before we go anywhere else the second thing we saw was when god instructs us to go satan would try to oppose our efforts to get the gospel to people so once again pray and talk to god about people before you talk to people about god and finally paul means little until you humble yourself and see yourself as being little god will never do big things in and through you so stay humble the way you stay humble is through prayer every time someone had an encounter with god they saw their own sinfulness stay in the presence of god so spend considerable time in prayer today turn the tv off a little bit spend time in prayer and watch and see how little you see yourself in light of how big of a god we serve and when you see yourself as paul as being little that's when god is going to exalt you now one second sooner i got a lot of souls in here you're the requested one the man and there's very little paul's and the paul's in here got to just exalt and blessing them and you're sitting there stewing getting the presence of god repent of your pride then passing you over is to humble you and you're taking it personally god is trying to humble you and say it's not your season somebody needs to hear that today get that for sale signed down you know you ain't prayed nor fasted we definitely know you haven't fasted definitely so may god bless you and keep you may his face shine upon you may you know the love of christ that passes knowledge and may you surrender yourself to the god who loves you so much he sent his son to die for you