Saints in the Shadows

Intro:

 

I.       Ananias- the man who baptized Saul

a.     Ananias was an ordinary man with an extraordinary faith

b.     To his credit, he trusted his Savior and did what he was afraid to do Acts 9:14-17

c.     Ananias obeyed the Great Commission of Mark 16:15-16- when Jesus said go in verse 15, Ananias went in verse 17

d.     Ananias is a great example of a mere man who ignored his fears and fulfilled the Great Commission.  How did he do it?  Because he trusted Jesus’ promise to be with him always Mt 28:19-20

II.   Barnabas- the man who believed in Paul. Barnabas was one of the most influential men of the early church.  He was a Levite from the island of Cyprus whom the disciples renamed Son of Encouragement.

a.     Barnabas believed in people even when no one else would.  He stood behind Saul when the disciples were all afraid of him Acts 9:26-27.  He stood behind his cousin, John Mark, when Paul refused to enlist him for the second missionary journey Acts 15:36-39

b.     Barnabas lived the words of Paul in 1 Thess. 5:11 when he wrote “Exhort one another and build each other up.”

III.           Aquila and Priscilla- the couple who shared with Paul- This fine couple is mentioned 6 times in the Bible

a.     One of their outstanding traits is that of hospitality-  They had settled in Corinth after being exiled from Rome by Claudius Acts 18:1-2  Even though they were displaced, when a missionary came to town, he stayed with them verse 3.  The word stayed is interesting because it implies that Paul made it a practice to live with them.  Their home was his home.  Aquila and Priscilla obviously believed Peter when he wrote be hospitable without grumbling 1 Peter 4:9

b.     Secondly- Aquila and Priscilla were of a gentle spirit- Do you remember how they handled the situation with Apollos?  When the great Alexandrian scholar was teaching incorrectly to submit to John’s baptism, what did they do?  They “took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately” Acts 18:24-26  They carefully and considerately helped a man who was honestly mistaken.  They obviously believed Paul’s words to Timothy, “ a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle… correcting those who are in opposition. 2 Tim 2:24-25

IV.            Apollos- the man who succeeded Paul, was the one who followed up on Paul’s work in Corinth.  Apollos was an eloquent man who boiled over with enthusiasm for God!

a.     Even though Apollos was well educated, he never stopped growing.  His home town of Alexandria was one of the greatest academic and literary centers of his day and yet… when Aquila  and Priscilla “explained to him the way of God more accurately”, he humbly yielded to their instruction Acts 18:26

b.     Secondly, Apollos believed in and taught from the Scriptures.  He is described as being mighty in the scriptures and he is the one who went to Achaia and vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ Acts 18:28

V.   Luke- the beloved physician who walked with Paul    Throughout the book of Acts, Luke uses the pronouns “we, us and our” showing that he was a part of Paul’s mission efforts.

a.     Luke fervently believed in Christ- He wrote the book of Luke to his fellow Gentiles, and repeatedly and excitedly refers to Jesus as Their Savior! Luke 2:10-11, 30 & 38.  What a wonderful example to us today, Not only was Luke appreciative, but he wanted his fellow Gentiles to know who the Lord is and what He has to offer.

b.     Secondly, Luke believed in the church of Christ- Repeatedly in the book of Acts, he includes enthusiastic progress reports about the church’s growth.  Proving, contrary to popular belief that the church grew without telephones, televisions, computers, emails or internet connection.  Acts 16:5 says that the church increased in number daily.  In chapter 17 verse 6 Luke wrote the world had been turned upside down.  Luke like Paul believed in the Christ of the church and in the church of the Christ.

VI.            What can we learn from these “saints in the shadows”

a.     God can use anyone to accomplish great things- an ordinary disciple, a temple servant, a pair of tentmakers, a well polished scholar, and a physician.  The point is that all of us can make significant contributions to the cause of Christ

b.     To be productive we must trust Jesus more than ourselves- Ananias rose above his fears, Barnabas vouched for others even when it was not popular, Aquila and Priscilla risked their necks, literally placed their necks on the ax of the executioner, Apollos did not let his education cause him to reject the teaching of two leather workers, Luke stayed with Paul through shipwreck and imprisonment.

c.     We are here, plain and simple, to save the lost- all of our saints in the shadows were involved in bringing others to Christ.  As we grow in Christ we should continually be finding ourselves to be more and more soul conscious Luke 19:10.

d.     We should be concerned about one soul as much as we are about many- God sent Ananias to just one man, Saul; but think of the difference that one meant to the Kingdom.  Aquilla and Priscilla taught Apollos but think of the difference that one study made in Achaia and in Corinth 1 Cor. 3:6

e.     The gospel is for all- We serve a god who desires all to be saved 1 Timothy 2:4

f.       To be a Christian is to be a humble servant- all of our saints in the shadows refused to let pride keep them from doing the Lord’s will.  Our Lord was a humble servant and so should we be 1 Peter 5:5-6

g.     Every member of the church is important-Whether you and I are a good one on one personal evangelist like Ananias, or an encourager like Barnabas, or a Bible teacher like Aquila and Priscilla, or an eloquent preacher like Apollos or a vocational missionary like Luke the physician, everyone is significant in the church of our Lord 1 Cor. 12:14-27.

Conclusion: “For the want of a shoe, a horse was lost; for the want of a horse, a soldier was lost; for the want of a soldier, a battle was lost; for the want of a battle the war was lost; and for the want of a war, a nation was lost… all because a single horseshoe was lost!”

This illustration shows how important each task and each person in the church is.  It also shows how important those who serve Jesus are even when they receive no human recognition.  These are people who are more concerned about accomplishing “something” for the Lord, than being recognized as the most accomplished.  They truly are the “saints in the shadows” and according to Jesus in Matthew 18:1-4, they are the greatest of all.