Jym Shorts

Jym Shorts - September 15, 2022

by Jym Gregory on September 15, 2022

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

 

The passage above marks the official starting point for Christian missions to the nations. Philip had preached the gospel in Samaria to “half-Jews” (Acts 8), Peter had taken the gospel to the Roman Cornelius and his household (Acts 10), and in Acts 11 some Jewish believers went to Antioch and preached to Hellenists (Greek-speaking Gentiles) there, but an official mission movement did not start until the Holy Spirit of God initiated one at Antioch, setting Barnabas and Saul apart for the work. The church at Antioch, in obedience to the Lord's command, laid hands on them as a way of commissioning them for the Lord's work and sent them off to Cyprus, the homeland of Barnabas. The rest is, as we say, history.

 

Barnabas and Saul (Paul) met with success during their first missionary journey, taking the gospel from Cyprus to the Roman province of Lycia, through Pisidian Antioch (a different city than the Antioch from which they had departed), to Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and then back again to Antioch in Syria (I know, it gets confusing), and finally back to Jerusalem to report on their travels and the Lord's work among the Gentiles. They also desired to seek instruction from the elders in Jerusalem on how Gentiles were to be included in the church. All along their journey they met with opposition and persecution, performed signs and wonders, and saw men and women converted from the dark world of paganism to the light of the gospel and hope in Jesus Christ. Christian missions continued unabated from that time forward, sometimes formally, at other times informally, with the message of salvation moving steadily from person to person until it had permeated the whole known world (Col. 1:23).

 

As we enter into our three-week Missions Emphasis, we will continue with this work established by God so many years ago. Our theme this year is “Lighting the Path,” and we will look again at the work of Bible translation and frontier missions. Our first guest speaker will be Rich Danzeisen, a member here at LifePoint and a supported missionary through Mercy, Inc. We’ve heard from Rich before, and I am looking forward to hearing from him as he shares with us some updates from our Bible “Read-a-thon” last year and the funds released from that initiative. On the 25th of September, we will hear from Dave Hare, a missionary serving in Cameroon with World Team. Dave and his family serve near Chris and Rachel Hanson (our missionaries in Cameroon preparing for Bible translation work among the Baka people group). Dave and his family are currently on stateside assignment in Louisville, KY., so we are excited to have them join us for our emphasis this year. Finally, on October 2, I will speak briefly from 3 John. John’s third epistle is one of those short letters that kind of sneaks by you. It is a personal letter from the apostle John to his friend Gaius, whom John “loves in truth.” John commends his friend for his role in welcoming missionaries into his home and then sending them on their way, well-provisioned for the work that lay before them. John is pleased with Gaius and the church because they were assisting fellow believers as they spread the gospel “for the sake of the name (Jesus).” Gaius sacrificed time and material comfort in order to further the kingdom of God. This is the very thing that we will do as our Missions Emphasis concludes that Sunday. We will challenge each other to consider sacrificing our own time and material comfort for the sake of the name, as we send out workers into a world of missions.

 

There is so much work that is still to be done in the kingdom of God. I believe that God is asking us, as he asked the church in Antioch, to set apart some for the work to which he has called them. I do not expect to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in exactly the same way that the elders in Antioch did during this crucial turning point in the early life of the church, but I do believe that God has a plan for the church to engage in missions so that all the nations might hear that there is hope in Jesus Christ. Please join me in being a part of the long and noble history of churches sending missionaries into the worldwell-provisioned and encouraged by the support of those who have partnered with them for the sake of the name.

 

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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