Famine Relief and Mission

Acts 11: 19-30; 12:25-13:3

As our faith deepens, because we spend more time in God’s word and walk in His ways, we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. The more deeply we pray, praising and thanking our God, our sense that His will is being done within us and around us is validated, which brings us peace. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done."  We are not going to change the whole world, but as famine spread through the Roman world as was prophesied in Acts 11:28-29,  “The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea." We too can use our gifts and abilities for the care and benefit of others.

Our God is relational. He came to earth to demonstrate for us just how personally important each of us is to him. He came to save us, and offer His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He has given us the gift of His life in order for us to have the opportunity to live eternally with Him. What do we offer in return?

In Acts 13: “Barnabas and Saul Sent Off,” we are witness to the beginning of the first missionary journey. The teachers and prophets in the church at Antioch heard the message of the Holy Spirit while they were praying and fasting, that Barnabas and Saul should be set apart and sent out. They prayed over them, “placed their hands on them, and sent them off.” This scene is easy for us to envision in our minds for a moment and then release it, because this event was far away, a long time ago, and happened to someone else. Well, guess what…When our feet hit the floor each morning, we are in the mission fields. 

Read/Listen to Acts 11:19-13:3

This is NO vacation! Acts 13:14-50

Looking back at a journal I was writing in a number of years ago, I ran across a few entries during the week of my second mission trip.  The entries from the first two days were embarrassing to read.  My whining attitude makes me blush.  One of my first pages read something like this, "Well, you'd think I would have remembered how hot it gets here.  I am so uncomfortable, the sweat is just pouring off of me. Now I have to walk up this incredibly big hill, in the dark, for a meeting.  Why did I do this again?"

Yesterday we began looking at Paul's first missionary journey. The text today finds Paul in Antioch preaching the Good News to the Jews in the Synagogue.  Paul and Barnabas go there because they know they will have opportunity to talk to the Jewish people. Many of them listened intently and then believed.   But, the Jewish leaders cannot accept Christ as the Messiah.  They have this vision of a strong and forceful military conqueror, not the servant Jesus proclaimed to be, as their Savior.

The leaders attempted to influence others to reject these teachings and to run the followers of Jesus out of town. They were threatened with bodily harm and expulsion from the country they came to witness to.  The Word of God could not be stopped by the self-absorbed Pharisees.  God blessed the work of Paul and Barnabas and the others.

"The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region." (Acts 13:49-50)

I am quite certain their living conditions were not the most comfortable and they probably did not know where there next meal would be coming from, but I cannot imagine any of their journal entries read anything like mine.  Wouldn't it be fun to take a peek at one of them.  Perhaps tomorrow that is what we will do.

Read Acts 13:14-50.