August 2, 2026

Acts 13

The Mission that Gives Life Meaning

Sunday Sermons

Everyone of us is curious about the purpose of life. Everyone of us wants to have a mission with meaning. And those longings are a sign that God designed us, heart, mind and soul, with a desire for something more than just a career, more than physical pleasures, and more than a big fat paycheck.

In Acts 13, an ordinary church in Antioch discovers exactly what that “something more” looks like — a Spirit-sent mission that carries the gospel from a Roman proconsul in Cyprus to a synagogue in Asia Minor, and eventually, down through two thousand years, to us. This message traces that journey and makes the case that the deepest meaning you’re searching for was never found by climbing higher — it’s found by being sent.

Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through the first recorded sermon by the apostle Paul and draws some timeless truths that will inspire and encourage all of us who are looking for a mission that gives life meaning.

Speaker

Jim Thomas

Series

Acts of the Apostles

Go to Series

Scripture

Acts 13

Topics
Growth & Discipleship Worldview & Culture

Sermon Notes

Acts 13

The Mission That Gives Life Meaning

Pastor Jim Thomas

The Mission that Gives Life Meaning Includes:

1. A Calling (v. 1-2)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:20

“I wonder what an army we could be if we took our calling seriously. Ah, the variety of choices that God has made for us to position us in certain places to be part of what he’s doing. We don’t lack calling, we lack faithfulness, we lack seriousness, we lack willingness, we lack perseverance.”
Paul Tripp

2. A Commission (v. 3)

“Mission is not ours; mission is God’s. It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission — God’s mission.”
Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative

3. A Compelling Message (v. 16-41)

“Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.”
Attributed to St. Francis

“The resurrection of Jesus was a kind of nuclear explosion which sent out a radioactive cloud, not lethal, but life-giving, and the mission of the church is simply the continuing communication of that joy – joy in the Lord.”
Lesslie Newbigin, Signs Amid the Rubble

4. A Proper Confidence in the Holy Spirit

“The Holy Spirit is not given that we may have wonderful experiences or marvelous sensations within us… That is certainly a part of the work of the Spirit, but it is not the primary object. The primary object is that the Lord may be known.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Sovereign Spirit

The goal of missions is joyful worship. (vv. 48 & 52)

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”
John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions

Jesus didn’t just set us free from something — He set us free for something.
The Holy Spirit calls, equips, and empowers us to rise and face the task unfinished.
The proper confidence for witness is not generated by us — it is received by us, from the Holy Spirit.

To whom might the Holy Spirit be sending you to speak of Jesus this week?

Discussion Questions

  • Read the passage together: Before today’s sermon, what did you already know or believe about this passage? Did anything in your understanding shift after hearing the message?
  • Challenge and Reflection: Was there a part of today’s message that was particularly challenging or surprising for you? Why?
  • Unpacking the Message: Pick a quote from today’s sermon notes. Discuss what it means to you.
  • Personal Impact: What’s one specific way you feel called to change or grow after hearing this message?
  • Practical Application: What’s one step you can take this week to put today’s message into practice?
  • Connecting Scripture: Are there other Bible passages or stories this message reminds you of? How do they expand or confirm this teaching?
  • Gratitude: What aspect of God’s character stood out to you in today’s message? How does it inspire praise or gratitude?
  • Pray the Scripture: After hearing the message, is there a specific area where you feel led to pray? How can we pray for one another in light of today’s teaching?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“Psalm 150 (Praise The Lord)“ by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
“May The Peoples Praise You“ by David Zimmer, Ed Cash, Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend
“Take My Life And Let It Be“ by Frances Ridley Havergal
“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross“ by Isaac Watts and Lowell Mason
“O Praise The Name (Anástasis)“ by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, and Marty Sampson
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690

Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!

Call To Worship: Great Is The Lord

Psalms 145:3-9

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of Your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.”

Confession of Sin

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Classic Prayer: Thomas Watson

O God, You are our God: our strong tower, our fountain of living water, our Father, a Father of mercies, an everlasting Father in heaven. O God, You are our God, by Your grace planted in us, and by the pledge of Your Spirit.
May He stamp the imprint of holiness in our hearts; embroidering and bespangling our souls, making them glorious within.
May He, by His magnetic virtue, draw our hearts to you: our paradise of delight and our chief treasure!
May our hearts be so chained to You that nothing else can enchant us or draw us from You.
Though our flesh be on earth, may our hearts be in heaven.
When You say to our souls, “You are mine,” may our souls answer:
“Lord, we are Yours; all I have is at Your service; my head shall be Yours to study You; my tongue shall be Yours to praise You.”
O God, You are our God.

TVC Prayer Ministry

TVC Ministry: Men’s Ministry
Vocation: Non-Profit Ministries
Mission Highlight: Langham Partnership
Local Church: First Presbyterian Church, Dr. Ryan Moore & Staff
Praying for the Persecuted Church: Togo

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