SEEK DAILY (NBC)
Thursday, July 27
SENT FORTH
RBT: Isaiah 44-46
Memory Verse: So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.' Acts 13: 3, NIV
Bible Text: Acts 13: 1-5
13:1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
13:2 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.”
13:3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
13:4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
One question that is very rampant amongst modern day Christians is the identification of purpose. In the past, everyone was an evangelist and no one needed any title or position to do that. Believers today, however, think the work of the Great Commission is for certain people. The new generation tends to believe Jesus but they do not have the zeal to defend the gospel.
In the passage, we see the Antioch Christians seeking the LORD through worship, fasting, and prayer. It was in this process that the Holy Spirit gave the instruction for the separation of Barnabas and Saul for the work He has for them. The new mission project was birthed in prayer. The Christian life is always going to call for some kind of separation. God wants us to separate ourselves from the ways of the world, and separate ourselves from bad habits.
_The major reason God saves us is so that we can be a light to another. The purpose is the same for everyone. The purpose of every believer is to go into the world and make disciples of every nation._
We'll carry out the task in various capacities; that is, each will do it as empowered. However, our mandate remains the same.
Insight: All believers are God-sent to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Dear LORD, I receive the grace to share the gospel message with others.