While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3 ESV)
If you grew up in the church, like me, a missionary visit meant cool things from faraway place, slideshows, stories of adventure, and massive amounts of guilt to-go. I remember one missionary weekend when a large snake skin was rolled down the aisle and I also got to shoot a poison dart blowgun. To be honest, the next week of ‘normal’ church was a bit of a let down. With those types of experiences we tend to think of missionaries as slightly awkward people that go to faraway places to speak in another language and share the gospel with people who have never heard it. With that kind of thinking, I can understand why there is a disconnect when they say that we are all missionaries.
This week we will continue to explore the book of Acts in our series, Gospel on the Move. We will see what many call the first missionary journey of Paul's, in Acts 13-14. Take some time to read through this section. And take some time to think about where today, you might be a missionary, too.
