Okay Lord, let’s go... sent by Your Holy Spirit.

Saturday  2-6-16 (Valencia, California... ministry in Arleta)     

Scripture reading for today:    Lev 1 - 3     Acts 13

S=Scripture  O=Observation  A=Application  P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  Acts 13:1-4  Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went...    NKJV

O.  I am impressed by the variety in this team of prophets and teachers in this our first real missionary church.  This church was a rainbow mixture of color and culture.  There was Barnabas, nicknamed “Mr. Encouragement”, And Simeon, nicknamed Niger, probably a black man, Manaen who was brought up alongside of royalty (with King Herod) and Saul... who became better known as Paul. 

And I am also impressed by what these men were doing.  They were not ministering to the church.  They were ministering to the Lord and fasting.  Then the Holy Spirit spoke through one of them, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul”.  They laid hands on them and sent them away. In the next verse we see that it was the Holy Spirit, not their friends that had sent them out.

A.  Whenever I go out I want to be sent not just by my friends, but by the Holy Spirit.  They boarded a ship to Cyprus, but after bringing the Gospel to that island they went on to more dangerous territory.  Even though they were literally kicked out of one town after another and Paul was stoned and left for dead... they did not doubt that they had been sent, not by their friends, but by the Holy Spirit of the living God.  That fact can keep you going. 

P.  My prayer today is “Lord, send me.” For I know that when You send me, You will also go with me.  Lord Jesus, You instructed us to “Go into all the world.”  You told us what to do “Make disciples and baptize them” and with what to saturate them, “Your teachings.”  So in my spirit I am driven to “Go”.  My song is “I’ll GO where You want me to GO, dear Lord... over mountains or plain or sea.  I’ll SAY what you want me to SAY dear Lord.  I’ll BE what you want me to BE.”  May I not only sing my GO, SAY, BE song, but may I live it out.  Come with me, Lord.  Let’s GO... sent by Your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Ralph

PS.  John Mark turned back before entering unknown, scary territory.  Maybe he wasn’t sure that he had been “sent by the Holy Spirit.”