Experience: S2 - Day 24

The risk of investing in others

Acts 13:4 So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. 5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant.

You’ll notice in today’s passage the order of the names Barnabas and Saul.  Barnabas was clearly the one leading the ministry, and Saul was there as his assistant, but both were sent by the Holy Spirit.  Rest assured; there are times in our lives when we are asked to lead and times when we are asked to assist; both are just as important.  Remember, at Crosswalk, we desire to be a community that exemplifies servant leadership, so who leads isn’t as important as the opportunity we all have to serve.

Notice also that a new person has joined the team: John Mark. We’ll hear more about him soon, but it’s important to note that as Barnabas invested in Saul, they both invested in others so that more leaders could grow.

As they ministered, I think it’s important to note that God doesn’t send people out on their own to serve but rather in pairs or groups. Jesus didn’t call one disciple; he called twelve. When he sent them out on their first missionary assignment, he sent them out two by two (Mark 6:7).

I’ve been in ministry long enough to know that it can sometimes be incredibly lonely.  What makes it so much easier and more fun is when you can partner with other people at work.  And truly, it’s a little easier to discern what the Holy Spirit is up to when you can talk it over with others to see if they are sensing, learning, and feeling led in a similar way as you are at the time.

As a college chaplain, I’d often have students come to me with a burden on their hearts for a particular ministry to be started. They’d often pitch the burden to me and then say something like, “Which is why I think you, Pastor Paddy, should start this ministry?”

I’d laugh and politely tell them, “I actually have a lot of things on my plate that God has called me to at the moment, but it seems like He’s placed this burden on your heart.  Which means it’s up to you to continue to listen to His call and see where He’s leading.”

After the initial shock of that statement wore off on them, I’d then tell them to spend some time in prayer.  Then, as they continue to pray, they start talking to other people about the idea to see if they respond well to it and feel a similar call in their hearts.  You see, I believe that if God is truly calling someone to do something, he won’t call them alone; there will be others who will sense that call as well and then a wave will begin to build.  Our job as leaders is to identify those waves and help people catch them (to use a surfing metaphor).

Finally, for today’s reflection, notice how Barnabas and Saul continued to preach in the Jewish synagogues.  Eventually, Saul becomes Paul and is known as the apostle to the Gentiles, but his journey started in the familiar, then moved more and more into the unknown.  I think this journey allows us to mature and strengthen our foundation, so that as God pushes us more and more into places that will push us and challenge us, we know how to keep leaning on him.

Questions:

1. Can you think of a time that you sensed God calling you to do something that maybe surprised and/or frightened you?  What was it and how did you respond?
2. Is there a burden on your heart right now, for something you feel God may be calling you to do?  Have you talked about it with anyone else?  If not, could you this week?
3. When life gets tough, or scary, what are some of the practices you turn to that keep you grounded in your walk with Christ?