Acts 13:1-12 – Sent Out

Read Acts 13:1-12

If you are familiar with the Books of Acts at all, you’ve probably been waiting for Paul’s missionary journeys. There are several, and today we walk with Saul and his companions as they are commissioned by the Holy Spirit for “special work.” Barnabas and Saul are prayed for by the other church leaders in Antioch, and then on their way they go. John Mark goes along as an assistant.

I can understand a little how they were feeling. They were embarking on a new adventure, not sure how it was going to play out. They had the assurance God was leading them. David and I have been called to several different churches over the years, being on a new mission for God. Most recently, we left everything familiar in the United States and have settled in Mexico. We’re waiting on God to show us where he wants us to use our gifts. We are where we have felt led to go. Excitement. Exhilaration. I am totally looking forward to how God is working behind the scenes. Each new day is an adventure.

So, too, for Saul and his companions. We hear him called Paul here in this text for the first time. Saul is his Jewish name, and Paul the Greek. After leaving Antioch, they traveled to the coast and made their way to the island of Cyprus. They preached across the whole island, and it must have been pretty uneventful until they reached the opposite coast, the town of Paphos. The governor wanted to hear the word of the Lord. But he had a “leech” attached to him who tried to keep Paul and Barnabas away.

Don’t you love how the Holy Spirit steps in and speaks through Paul. I never want ill to befall anyone, but when it happens to stop evil in its tracks, there’s part of me that wants to cheer a little. God used this moment for his kingdom, and governor believed.

Sometimes we need to clear the riff raff out of our lives so that we can see the truth. You know, those “leeches” that are keeping us from a true relationship with God. Those distractions aren’t always people. We can be distracted by work, worry, unhealthy relationships, laziness, ambition, or whatever obstacle the evil one wants to put in our way. We can be caught in a snare and not even know it. So how can we break through those barriers?

We can allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives. We can surrender. We can finally be who God wants us to be. Listen to this song, I Surrender All (All to Jesus).

Let’s pray. Father I surrender to you. You know my weakness and my faults. In spite of all that, use me where you see fit. Help me to sense your leading. You have given me so much, I don’t want to keep it all for myself. Show me, teach me, use me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.