ACTS 13

Chapter 13 is filled with many incredible verses and great affirmations of the power of God and the conviction/passion of the early disciples. Lest I get bogged down and make this blog extremely lengthy. I will briefly touch on several verses which caught me attention.

In the opening statements we read, "As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.'" We see the church appointing their first missionaries, sending them out to serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel to pre-Christians. The church should make her ambition to equip, commission and send out those who God is calling to serve Him in the mission field. We read just a bit farther in the chapter that the church made fasting and praying a matter of importance in the selection and ordination of these men to go forth with the Good News. We must take our charge to send out missionaries with great sincerity and fervor. Their mission is the Great Commission. As they go, they go in the name of our Lord from His church in Florence. How much emphasis do we put on this charge? How much emphasis do you put on this charge? While we would tend to think this is a mission for someone else, could God be calling you?

As these men went out they encountered nay-sayers along the way. The scripture tells that Paul refused to allow someone to hinder or dissuade those God was calling to Him.
In fact, Paul was very bold in his confrontation. "Then Saul-also called Paul-filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at the sorcerer and said, "You son of the Devil, full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness! Won't you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?" Go Paul! What boldness this new missionary possessed from the Spirit of the Lord. How often we should be filled with the Spirit and call out those who seek to discredit our Lord and prevent others from coming to His salvation. How often we should exercise the discipline of the Lord, in His name, even among those of the church who seek to stand in the way of God performing a great work in His church! In fact, Paul quoted the prophets as he said, "Look, you scoffers, marvel and vanish away, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you." Oh how bold Paul was, but why not God appeared to him in a miraculous way and called him out of a life of sin! But wait, God has done that to each of us! So, why are we so timid in the face of those who seek to oppose our God?

As the chapter closes these men preached the message with such passion and authority that they "the people begged that these matters be presented to them the following Sabbath." Oh my Lord please give me that same passion, power and authority. "So the message of the Lord would spread through the whole region of Florence." And may our God give us each the joy through the Holy Spirit as these men, even in the face of opposition and persecution. "And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."

Lessons we Learned:
1. The church has a commission to send out missionaries.
2. We must confront those in the Name of God who seek to discredit God or dissuade others from following after Him
3. We can experience great joy because of our Lord, even in the face of opposition.